


Between the Laws of Nature

by GrassMower



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Angst, Attempt at Humor, Fantasy, Goats, High School, M/M, Magic, Magical Creatures, Romance, mythological creatures
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-17
Updated: 2018-04-08
Packaged: 2018-08-31 14:41:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 50,003
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8582359
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GrassMower/pseuds/GrassMower
Summary: For a half-blood like Jongdae, there is only one place in the world.Crossposted on aff. Main suchen, side baeksoo. Spanish translation here





	1. I/XVI

“Get out of my class _right now_.”

Jongdae barely registers the stern voice of Mrs. Yun before the elderly lady is right in front of him, her furious expression emphasized by the lines on her face.

“This is the last time you sleep in my class, Kim,” she threatens, her thin lip curling up. After eyeing Jongdae judgmentally, she straightens up, crossing her arms over her neat blouse. “I will see you in detention after school. Go report it to the office yourself.”

“Sorry,” Jongdae mutters, only to be ignored. He doesn’t take it to heart. Mrs. Yun probably knows he didn’t mean it anyway. After wiping the drool off his notebook and messily shoving his supplies into his bag, Jongdae scrambles out of the classroom under the disapproving looks of his classmates.

This is obviously not the first time Jongdae has fallen asleep in class. The earliest class of the day is always a drag no matter how exciting the material is. When he shares a class with his friends, staying up is a little easier, but when it comes to the boring formulas that keeps sprouting from Mrs. Yun’s mouth, he finds it hard to keep his eyes open.

Jongdae drags his feet through the cold hall, wiping his dry eyes. To be fair, Jongdae has several reasons for staying up late.

First off: it’s in his blood. Now that may seem like a dumb excuse – but it’s not. Jongdae is a half-blood. His father was a demon, a servant of Satan, someone who took the dead to hell. Jongdae has never really thought much about it since he was too distracted by his father’s goat legs and horns. They looked cool. His mother was a lot of things. Sometimes she was a woman, other times a man, and on the rare occasion an animal or an inanimate object. To sum it up, a shapeshifter. Jongdae also thought this was cool, but the result of two separate magic forces fusing together hasn’t given Jongdae a lot. He can shapeshift, but only into a goat. He has demonic powers, but only when charged. The night-owl habits, however, is the only thing that stayed together since both of his parents are mostly active by night.

Second: his part-time job at the nearby 24/7 store. The school has actually forbidden students from part-time jobs, but the security is slack so no one notices it when he sneaks out. Since the lessons take up a lot of the day, Jongdae has to resort to evening shifts. Refilling shelves and operating the register isn’t a tough job per se, but the long hours from school plus the late work hours are draining. Jongdae really needs the extra coin, though.

If Jeolban high school wasn’t such a mess, Jongdae might have been content with what he has. The school is a grand castle in the middle of the woods with only a few towns close by. The castle itself looks medieval from the outside, ivy grown all over the outside walls and roof tiles dipped in different colors. Unfortunately, the inside is very medieval as well. It is always draughty, some parts of the castle are in complete ruins, the rooms against the outer wall are moist, and the electricity flickers off nearly every day. The dormitories, which are located in two separate buildings, are no better, but at least the electricity works most of the time. Since the school isn’t funded by the government, their budget comes from the students’ enrollment and class fees, most of which goes to the teachers’ salary. Rarely is there ever any work done to improve the living and teaching spaces, but it’s fine. After all, this is the only school in the entire world that offers specialized education for half-bloods.

Meanwhile, Jongdae has arrived at the office, waiting for Mr. Yang to notice him. The young man glances up at his sigh, and his face falls at the sight of Jongdae.

“Fell asleep again, Kim?” he asks in a bored voice, whipping up Jongdae’s file on the old computer.

“Yeah,” Jongdae answers bitterly. Being known by the office is not a good thing at all.

“Well,” Mr. Yang says, hitting the keys. “At least you’re in it together. Why don’t you join your friend over there?”

Jongdae looks over where Mr. Yang cocks his head, his gaze falling on the sofa. A rather familiar figure is lying on the ragged thing.

“Baekhyun!” Jongdae calls, shocking his friend into a state of consciousness.

Baekhyun blinks, his elliptical pupils adjusting to the light. The vivid yellow color of Baekhyun’s eyes makes for a strong gaze, even when he’s tired. Baekhyun is half Lamia. A lamia is a snake with the upper body of a man, but since Baekhyun is half of that and half human, he only has a few snake features. A pair of fangs is underneath his lips, long and thin, ready to shoot venom at any time. His jaw isn’t as flexible as a real snake, but he can push his entire fist in his mouth and still have some room left. Lurid green scales run down his neck, eventually fading into pale skin. Though there are downsides to being one-fourth snake, Jongdae is envious of Baekhyun being cold-blooded – the latter could stay in Antarctica wearing nothing but shorts and not feel a thing. He’s one of the few that doesn’t have to deal with the school’s never-ending chill.

Baekhyun gets up wearing a naughty smile. Jongdae suddenly remembers his third reason for staying up late: Baekhyun.

His friend is also his roommate, which is already a red flag. Despite being against stereotypes, Jongdae finds Baekhyun to be one of the sneakiest, trickiest people he’s ever met. Baekhyun regularly plays pranks on uptight teachers and students, ones that will make them red with fury as they curse Baekhyun’s existence. Mrs. Yun has never recovered from the flour bucket atop the door and refuses to educate Baekhyun. While these pranks are practically harmless, Jongdae is somehow always dragged into the mess, being forced to keep watch while Baekhyun prepares whoopee cushions or duct-tapes the teacher’s chair to the ceiling. There’s no denying Jongdae enjoys taking part in these pranks, but they take up a lot of time and are usually done at night. Besides that, Baekhyun enjoys sneaking out as well and never fails to wake Jongdae up in the process.

“Did you get caught too?” Baekhyun asks, laughing.

“I got caught sleeping,” Jongdae answers with a grin. “Seeing as you’re here, I guess your airhorn prank succeeded, then?”

Baekhyun nods, “If you could only hear Mrs. Song scream. Her face was priceless, I swear.”

“She’s going to kick you out of that class sooner or later, you know.”

Baekhyun waves him off. “That won’t happen.”

The two of them exit the office, immediately heading to their dorm.

While passing several classrooms, bright lights emit from the gaps along the old wooden doors. These are the magic practice rooms. Since nearly all students have magical powers, an entire wing is dedicated to those practices. The classes mostly include coverage of offensive and defensive magic, though there are some lessons in magical energy manipulation available. Jongdae wanted to take one of those classes, but he was rejected because his demonic powers are considered evil and could possibly overtake him if they were to grow. For now, he is focused on trying to broaden his shapeshifting, even though progressing further than a goat seems impossible after countless failed attempts.

Besides the teachings of magic, Jeolban has the same basic subjects as a human school, which is why Jongdae has to endure hours and hours of math. Most half-bloods end up connecting more to human society than magical society – the magic part of a half-blood is usually not strong enough to take on living in magical society. Human society is fine with half-bloods as long as they keep a low profile, but half-bloods who don’t look human enough will be outcasts. Baekhyun is a prime example of someone who would be flat-out rejected in human society for just his looks.

While stalking along the mossy stone path to their dorm building, Jongdae stuffs his hands in his pockets. The temperature has been decreasing now that fall is here, the first icy winds making their way through the school. Jongdae glances over to Baekhyun, whose upper body is covered in nothing but a thin t-shirt. He grimaces, forever jealous of Baekhyun’s cold blood.

Just as Jongdae’s hand reaches for the door handle on their dorm, a voice speaks up:

“Hold it there, Kim.”

 Sighing, Jongdae drops his hand and turns around, seeing Baekhyun roll his eyes at the two students in front of him.

Kim Joonmyun and his new sidekick Kim Minseok. Both part wizard part human. From the first year at Jeolban to the current, Joonmyun has always been an annoyance. Joonmyun is an uptight goody-two-shoes who follows every rule and protocol, always finishes his homework long before the deadline, and somehow senses it whenever a rule is broken. At first, avoiding Joonmyun was easier, but ever since Minseok joined his side they get caught before even doing something. Minseok is actually a pretty decent guy, no stick-up-his-butt attitude but still a follower of the rules. What these two actually do is some kind of hall monitor type of job, though also outside of school hours and at the dorms as well. Since Joonmyun and Minseok are more in touch with the students, the school gave them this job instead of hiring some actual security.

“You are supposed to be in class,” Joonmyun accuses, crossing his arms.

“I got kicked out,” Jongdae reasons.

“Then you should be in the office awaiting your punishment, not be on your merry way to your bed.”

“Just let us off, Joonmyun,” Baekhyun pipes in. “You know we’re never going to learn.”

“That does not mean that you shouldn’t answer for your crimes.”

“ _Crimes_ ,” Baekhyun mocks. “All we did was slack off.”

“Please return to the office,” Joonmyun delivers politely, but his eyes are hard. “Or else I’m breaking out the walkie talkie and report it to headmaster Kang himself.”

“You’re not going to do that,” Jongdae says, chuckling.

Then, with a complete serious face, Joonmyun takes out the walkie talkie from the inner pocket of his coat, extending the antenna threateningly. “How about now?”

Jongdae and Baekhyun share a look full of hesitance. In the next second, they’re bolting off, ignoring Joonmyun’s angry spluttering.

After rushing away, they end up in the other dorm, which is specially designed for creatures who live in the night. Jongdae applied for this dorm when he registered, but since being awake only at night doesn’t come with either parts of his blood, he was directed to the regular dorm. Mostly vampires reside here, but werewolves and other students who share blood with animals of the night like foxes and owls live here as well. Though the building looks just like the other dorm, old and unlivable, it’s quite different on the inside. Every room is completely dark. Jongdae wonders why they even put windows in if they were all going to be blocked anyway. The hallway has a few candles, but one has to mostly roam in the dark.

Fortunately, they know the way to their friend’s room from their heads now. After two and a half years they ought to. Baekhyun is up front, and doesn’t even bother to knock when storming into the room and flicking on the light.

Kyungsoo sits up, glaring at Baekhyun since he’s the only one to treat him this bluntly.

“Good morning, sunshine!” Baekhyun croons, grinning at his friends.

“Fuck off,” Kyungsoo spits back.

Like many of this dorm’s residents, Kyungsoo is half a vampire. His classes start in the evening and end early in the morning. Being a half-blood vampire might not seem bad, but it definitely comes with some cons. Kyungsoo can only drink AB-type blood, will get a sunburn when in contact with direct sunlight, and is extremely allergic to garlic. Full-blood vampires rarely have these conditions, though sunlight isn’t good for them. Kyungsoo is immune to any type of disease and won’t fall for magic that plays with your brain, and he also has the enhanced condition, which means enhanced strength, agility – that type of stuff. A full-blood vampire has these features as well, but on a greater level.

“What do you want now, Baekhyun? Did you drag Jongdae into your mess again?” Kyungsoo asks, ever being on Jongdae’s side.

“Not even! He got into this mess alone this time,” Baekhyun explains with a grin, plopping on Kyungsoo’s bed.

“Fell asleep in class?” Comes Kyungsoo’s question.

“How did you know?”

“Your scent was fresh when I went to class. I guessed you were back late from your job again.”

“You guessed correctly,” Jongdae answers, shoving Baekhyun aside to make room for himself on Kyungsoo’s bed.

“What did you get in trouble for, Baekhyun?”

As Baekhyun retells his tale of the airhorn, Jongdae gazes off to the disapproving expression on Kyungsoo’s face. How a guy like Kyungsoo ever wanted to become friends with them is still a mystery to Jongdae. Baekhyun and Jongdae hit it off easily by Baekhyun being the only one to ask about his goat-shapeshifting instead of being half of a servant of Satan. He was also the only one to laugh about it, and also the only one to inform him some snakes eat goats. They met Kyungsoo at the grand Christmas dinner, where Baekhyun had made the most garlicky spaghetti Bolognese of the century and told Kyungsoo there was no garlic in it as a joke. Then the latter ended up nearly choking to death, his lips, mouth, and neck swollen for days. Baekhyun laughed about it, but stayed with Kyungsoo at all times while he was in the infirmary, which somehow forged a friendship. Since the incident, Kyungsoo has always harbored irritation to every fiber of Baekhyun’s being, yet will never push him away.

“I want to pull a prank on Joonmyun sometime,” Baekhyun tells them, leaning back against the wall. “Imagine pulling the flour bucket on him! He’d be squealing like a pig! Oh, his face would be so red – if you could even see it with all that flour.”

“I can’t deny I like the idea of that,” Jongdae replies, chuckling at the thought of Joonmyun being both embarrassed and angry.

“As much as I don’t like your pranks, I’d love to see that.” Kyungsoo grins to himself. “Man, he really needs to loosen up his little. All that stress will make him go bald.”

“Yeah,” Baekhyun agrees, laughing. “He’s been especially tight lately. He won’t let me off with a warning anymore! It’s probably because of that stuff going down in the east wing.”

“East wing?” Jongdae asks in wonder. The east wing is closed off because it lays in ruins, as far as Jongdae knows.

“Yeah. Apparently, something happened there and they’re going to restrict all access. As in, we can no longer sneak in via the secret passage.”

“What? How could anyone have any business in this shithole?” Kyungsoo asks. “Especially bad business.”

Baekhyun shrugs, “I don’t know. That’s just what I overheard when I was waiting for my punishment in the office.”

“I hope the school isn’t in any danger…” Jongdae mutters. Both Baekhyun and Kyungsoo nod their heads in agreement.

To be real, Jeolban might not be the most luxurious or prestigious school in the world, but it’s the only place where half-bloods can feel at home. Here they are safe from the never-ending judgement, harassment, and other types of discrimination. Half-bloods can grow up like any other teenager without having to feel ashamed about what’s in their blood.

“It’s probably nothing serious.” Baekhyun waves it off. The latter has never had a good sense of danger. “I think we should check it out ourselves. Maybe they’re hiding treasure or something.”

“I think we should definitely _not_ do that,” Kyungsoo insists.

“Yeah, I agree.”

“Oh, come on you guys! It’ll be fun! Besides, they won’t be housing anything deadly. If that was the case, we would have been evacuated long ago.”

“Baekhyun, _no._ ” Kyungsoo says sharply.

“Okay, fine.” Baekhyun sighs in defeat, pursing his lips.

While Kyungsoo starts ranting about the measly sack of blood he was given the other day, Jongdae glances over to Baekhyun.

Their eyes connect and Baekhyun sends him a smirk.

That can only mean one thing: they’re going to check out the east wing.

 


	2. II/XVI

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *warning for violence

After wiping his sore eyes, Jongdae lifts the box previously filled with chocolate bars and shuffles to the back room. He destroys the box and plops down in a plastic chair. He’s been on the job for six hours now, having snuck out immediately after classes ended. The shift ends at eleven, and since that hour is near Jongdae automatically glances to the clock. Eight more minutes.

Stretching his arms to the roof, Jongdae feels his joints pop. The tension in his back, neck, and shoulders feels a lot lighter, and Jongdae sighs contently, leaning back in the plastic chair. The backrest of the chair is probably straining him as much as standing and carrying was, but Jongdae can’t find it in himself to care. His legs really need some rest.

As the door is slammed open, Jongdae immediately jumps to his feet, knowing that even in the last minutes his manager wants him to work. It turns out to be his human friend and coworker Luna, who gives him a knowing look after catching him so ruffled.

“What’s up, goat legs?” She asks teasingly.

Only the manager and Luna know he’s a half-blood. Unfortunately, half-bloods are looked down upon. In a workspace that is so open to the public, being a half-blood can put you in danger. The reason half-bloods are so despised is simply because they are not normal. They are not human enough, but also not magical enough. Their supernatural abilities and abnormal looks keep them divided from the humans, and their weakened magic keeps them divided from magical creatures. Jongdae has never experienced any harassment other than the occasional name-calling, and he’d like to keep it that way, thus hiding his status.

Only after he fully trusted Luna he told her of his status. She barely batted an eye, which, in all honesty, is exactly what Jongdae expected her to do. Luna cares about nothing but getting out of this small town. The manager knew right from the start, but the man is also not a human with a lot of care. The only thing he wants is his shop to be run well. He is well aware of the discrimination some half-bloods suffer, and thus helped Jongdae keep it a secret. He is not exactly the most pleasant boss, but at least he understands Jongdae’s situation.

“Six-hour shift?” Luna asks, crouching down on the floor beside him.

“Yeah,” Jongdae answers groggily. “I’m beat. Can’t wait to go home.”

“Me too.”

“You just got here,” Jongdae commentates with a grin.

“Well, I’ve got the nightshift and I’m not exactly looking forward to it.”

Jongdae nods understandably, but slowly dozes off, eyes half-lidded as he watches the hands on the clock. The minute hand closes in on the twelve too slow for Jongdae’s liking. He squeezes his sore legs one last time before getting up and ridding himself of his work shirt. The clock has struck eleven, a nasty electronic beep filling the storage room.

“Well, that’s my cue to leave.” Luna yawns as she slowly rises to her legs.

“Good luck,” Jongdae mutters softly. He feels a jab of empathy for Luna. The nightshift is a real killer.

Luna waves him off and makes her entrance into the shop.

Meanwhile, Jongdae has already packed himself up in his scarf and coat. The autumn weather isn’t exactly kind at night. As he steps through the back door, his feet immediately hit brown leaves. The leaves are illuminated by the horrible TL-lights that serve as an indication as to where the back door is. The brightness makes the streets and the woods extremely dark, and Jongdae feels a bit uneasy.

With a nasty feeling harboring in his stomach, Jongdae pushes his hands in his pockets and quickly makes his way across the street. Firstly, he will need to go to the parking lot of the gas station. Behind the fence is a path that leads back to school. The silence of the night is both pleasant and unnerving. Half of the lampposts are broken, which makes for quite an eerie pathway.

When Jongdae finally arrives at the gas station, the entire parking lot is lighted by those same horrible TL-lights, but at least it’s not dark anymore. He crosses the parking lot with a lighter feeling than before.

Just as he wants to step onto the path, a soft voice calls out.

“Hey, goat boy.”

Jongdae freezes. Immediate panic surges through his body, causing his heart to pump harder and his limbs to shake.

“I’m talking to you,” the same voice calls again.

Jongdae turns around stiffly. He holds his breath, eyes wide as he faces three boys around his age. At first they seem like regular people, but then Jongdae catches a whiff of a flowery scent. He studies the boys further, and finds pointed ears, clear eyes and softened features. A certain calmness comes from them, but Jongdae knows better.

Nymphs.  

The race that hates half-bloods the most. It is well-known nymphs are closely connected to nature and are extremely disapproving of anything that isn’t made by nature – anything that isn’t _pure_. Hate crimes towards half-bloods are almost exclusively committed by nymphs. Jongdae has a bad feeling about this.

“Wh-what do you want?” Jongdae stammers, clenching his fists.

The guy in the middle smiles, and while to any passerby he would look like a deity, Jongdae knows it’s sinister. “You look a little pale, goat boy.”

“How do you know me?” Jongdae asks breathlessly, heart hammering in fear. His hands are sweaty and his lip trembles.

“Lovely Luna from the shop talks too much.”

Jongdae’s breath stocks in his throat – _Luna_? She would _never_. Jongdae is drowned in confusion until he hears the hearty laugh from the nymph. Their scent alone can get even the most introverted people to talk for hours.

“What do you want?” Jongdae repeats, this time with a bit more bite.

“Originally, we just wanted to steal some seaweed snacks… but when pretty Luna started talking about payday and about her half-blood coworker who just went home, we decided to do mother nature a favor.”

The wicked expressions that then paint the nymphs’ faces terrifies Jongdae. He stumbles back, wanting to escape, but before he knows it, he is slammed against the fence.

“Where’s your paycheck?” The same nymph questions.

“I-I don’t have it on me!” Jongdae cries, trying to push away the hands that are holding him down.

“You’re lying. The girl told us today is payday.”

“I don’t have it, I swear!” Jongdae gasps. His jaw is suddenly gripped by a strong hand and Jongdae feels as if he will not survive this. “Today is payday but I have no check! The manager transfers the money digitally on my request! Please, let me go…”

As tears of terror roll down Jongdae’s cheeks, the nymph loosens his grip, sharing a look with the guy on his right. The other two nymphs let him go of him as well, and Jongdae sinks to the floor, sobbing softly.

For a while there is nothing but the humming of the TL-lights and Jongdae’s dampened cries. Then, as Jongdae gazes up, a boot closes in on his face, kicking him straight on the nose. Jongdae falls down on his side with an agonizing groan. Then more boots clash with his body – his stomach, chest, and head are prime victims.

The beating does not last long, but Jongdae feels as if every nerve in his body has been assaulted. When the nymphs leave, Jongdae is groaning for another five minutes before he finally gets himself up. He steadies himself against the fence, his face bloody all over and one eye shut completely. Releasing his grip, Jongdae takes one step, but his knees immediately buckle, ripping another groan from his throat.

Every step he takes is excruciatingly slow, unbearably painful, and seems to only worsen his condition. It takes him an awfully long time, but eventually he makes it to the school’s grounds. He drags his feet to the dormitory and steps inside, hoping not to meet anybody with his face like this. His wish is fulfilled and he stumbles into his room without having met anyone.

Collapsing as soon as the door is closed, Jongdae immediately catches Baekhyun’s attention. The latter gasps in shock, a horrified expression pulling on his features.

“Wh-what happened?” He asks, crouching in front of Jongdae to examine his face.

“I got… attacked.” Jongdae groans again, trying to get up. Baekhyun helps him up, carrying most of his weight to get him to the bed.

“I’m going to get the nurse,” Baekhyun says.

“No! They’ll know that I’ve been off the grounds.”

Baekhyun bites his lip. “Then I’ll get someone who knows healing spells. Wait here.”

Jongdae nods, closing his eyes in pain. He leans back against the headrest of his bed, and lifts a shaky hand up to his face. His trembling fingers trace the edges of a crack on his nose. When coming in contact with the wound, it stings, and Jongdae pulls his hand back, wanting to cry.

“What are you doing in this dorm?! You should be in class!”

Jongdae opens his eyes again and finds Kyungsoo in the doorway. Kyungsoo’s eyes rake over his beat-up form before he storms up to Jongdae and takes his face in his hands.

“Who did this to you?!” He yells. “I could smell your blood on the third floor.”

Jongdae looks away from Kyungsoo’s exasperated expression.

“Do Kyungsoo, I have to ask you to return to your—”

Joonmyun and Minseok now stand in the doorway, their faces twisted in shock. “Wh-what happened to you?” Minseok asks.

More humiliation washes over Jongdae and he faces away from everyone in his room. Baekhyun then returns with empty hands, but seems delighted at the presence of Joonmyun and Minseok.

“Do you have any healing abilities, Joonmyun?” Baekhyun asks.

Joonmyun shakes his head in shame.

“I do,” Minseok speaks up, raising his hand.

“Can you heal Jongdae for us?”

“Why don’t you go to the nurse?” Kyungsoo asks.

“Because then the teachers will know he was off the grounds!”

“You were off the grounds?!” Joonmyun squeaks.

“That’s not important right now.” Baekhyun waves it off, dragging Minseok to Jongdae’s bed. “Come on, Jongdae. Show us your face so Minseok can heal it.”

With reluctance, Jongdae turns his head, once again shocking everyone in the room. Minseok then chants a few words before an orange light glows from his right hand. He hovers it over Jongdae’s bruises and gashes, healing them within seconds. Jongdae has seen this restoration spell performed by other students, but it has never looked this bright, nor did it heal so quick. Before Jongdae knows it, his face is back to normal, only blood still plastered on his skin. After wiping the blood off with a wet tissue, he hands it to Kyungsoo, who takes the scent in with delight.

Joonmyun gives them a weird look at the interaction, but the concern soon returned to his face.

“What exactly happened?” He asks softly.

“I was walking home from work and suddenly these three… _nymphs_ show up.” A thick silence falls over the group, tension painting their features. “They demand my paycheck… say something about doing mother nature a favor, and when I said I didn’t have it on me they started beating me.”

Jongdae feels a calming hand land on his thigh. Kyungsoo is trying to give him a reassuring look, but Jongdae sees the hurt behind it. Eyes darting around, Jongdae sees everyone wearing a desolate expression.

Their school is supposed to be a safe haven. A place where half-bloods do not need to worry about judgements based on their blood. So, the fact that the hate has followed them here, is more than just depressing. Jongdae feels like there could never be a safe place for half-bloods, that they will always have to feel uncomfortable in their skin, and that they can never be who they truly are. The others are thinking it too – Jongdae can see it in their eyes.

“Thank you, Minseok.” Jongdae then utters. “For healing me.”

Minseok gives him a brief smile, “No problem. We really ought to get going now. And you too, Kyungsoo.”

Kyungsoo ignores Minseok’s statement and buries his nose in the blood-soaked tissue again. Minseok is already out the door before Jongdae registers it, but Joonmyun stays by the doorway for a few more seconds, an empathetic, sad expression on his face. Jongdae directs his eyes away, engaging in a conversation with Kyungsoo instead.

 ---

Some nights later, Baekhyun decides to cheer a still dejected Jongdae up.

“It’ll be fun,” he says, naught twinkling in his eyes. The expression on his face promises no good, but Jongdae knows it will be a good distraction. “We’re just going to have a walk around school.”

“ _Just_ a walk?” Jongdae questions, raising an eyebrow.

A sweet, innocent smile then stretches Baekhyun’s lips. “Just a walk,” he confirms.

Jongdae trudges behind Baekhyun with slight reluctance. The previous times they’ve been in at night it ended in detention or a hilariously successful prank still followed by detention. The school is far from abandoned with the night classes being held, but it’s easier to snoop around since Joonmyun and Minseok won’t be there to interrupt.

The two of them sneak inside through one of the lesser known entrances, somewhere along the south wing. This part of the building is rarely used, only when the north wing has no free rooms. The school itself was originally not meant to be a school, rather just a castle that was passed down from generation on generation until it landed in the headmistress’s lap. Being a half-blood herself, the headmistress decided to make it into a school. Since the school is for half-bloods only, the government considered it a private school and refused to fund it.

Once they are inside, the cold breeze felt outside stays with them, causing Jongdae to shiver. His eyes fall to Baekhyun, who is wearing short and a tank top again, completely unbothered by the weather, and Jongdae scoffs. Lucky bastard.

“So… what are you planning to do?” Jongdae asks as Baekhyun is just staring down the hallway.

“Well, someone showed me this turd prank. It’s fairly easy and guaranteed to make some teachers scream. Basically, you make this turd out of an empty toilet paper roll. I want to place a few in the teacher’s office and in Mrs. Yun’s classroom,” Baekhyun explains with a grin, before his face twists back to blank and he stares into the hallway again.

This time, Jongdae follows his gaze, and sees the unlit hallway leading to the east wing. There’s about five lit chandeliers before the hallway is drowned in complete darkness, giving out an uncomfortable feeling.

After Baekhyun peers off for another minute or so, Jongdae grabs him by the shoulder. “So, are we going to do it or not?”

“Yeah, yeah. Just…” Baekhyun pauses, his attention back to the darkness. “I want to see what they’re hiding in there. If they’ve even stopped lighting the candles there must be something in there they want us not to see?”

“I think they don’t want us to see it for a reason,” Jongdae tells him, crossing his arms.

Baekhyun scoffs, “You sound like Kyungsoo.”

“I think any wise person would not want to go there.”

“Come on, Jongdae! We should check it out! What if they’re housing a unicorn or something? They won’t keep anything dangerous in there, not in the middle of a school. That would just be stupid. It’s probably something valuable they don’t want any of the students to get their hands on.”

“I really think we shouldn’t go there,” Jongdae mutters, but Baekhyun doesn’t hear him.

His friend is already strolling into the darkness. Jongdae quickly sprints to his friend, staying right behind him.

“Baekhyun, we really shouldn’t do this! I’m all up for your pranks but this could really get us in bad trouble!”

“There’s nobody around, stop worrying!” Baekhyun hisses.

As the two of them step away from all light, Jongdae feels queasy with worry. He holds Baekhyun’s upper arm to keep himself steady while trying to squint in the darkness.

“Do you even know where you’re going?”

“Of course I do! Infrared vision, remember?”

Oh right, the bastard can see at night. Another one of his snake perks.

“Do you have a flashlight? I have no reptile privileges, unlike you.”

“Oh, shut up.”

A silence falls, but moments later a source of light comes from the palm of Baekhyun’s hand. It is a little flame, coming from a lighter. Jongdae takes it without a word, silently grateful.

The two of them arrive at the grand doors leading to the east wing and immediately pass them, knowing this is not the way to get in. Opening those doors will make a sound that could be heard on the other side of the world. Instead, Baekhyun and Jongdae head to a smaller door that one could easily overlook. Its position is behind a pillar, barely visible, and so poorly placed the door can only open halfway before it hits the concrete pillar.

Jongdae shines the light on the handle as Baekhyun messes with it, knowing a good shaking and a firm grip will eventually open the old door. When the moment comes where the door should open, it doesn’t budge, and Baekhyun steps back, baffled.

“I think it’s locked…” he mutters, placing his hand on the handle again to try and make it work.

“They’re serious about it, aren’t they?” Jongdae wonders, eyes focused on the keyhole.

“Yes, Kim. You’re right about that.” The two students turn around to find a light shining from Minseok, who is right next to Joonmyun. How did they find them here? Shouldn’t they be sleeping?  “This is a serious situation and you two have violated a very serious safety protocol.”

“What protocol?” Jongdae asks.

“The safety protocol that will be enforced tomorrow,” Joonmyun explains, crossing his arms.

“If the protocol will be enforced tomorrow, we can’t possibly have violated it,” comes Baekhyun’s snarky comment.

“Let’s see if the headmistress thinks the same.”

The moment Baekhyun and Jongdae enter the headmistress’ office, a sigh is heard. The pale woman crosses her arms, leaning back in her chair. The light hits her never-aging face and Jongdae feels intimidated. Mrs. Kang is a just, powerful woman, but she has made clear before that she really doesn’t wish to see Baekhyun and Jongdae in her office again. Irritation is clear in her body language; the thinning of her lips and the stiffness of her posture.

“Mrs. Kang,” Joonmyun begins, putting up his good boy act. “I found these two trying to sneak into the east wing.”

With a sharp movement, Mrs. Kang immediately directs her eyes towards Jongdae and Baekhyun.

“What were you two doing there at this hour?”

Jongdae feels Baekhyun’s alarmed look on him, but he continues to stare at his fumbling fingers.

“Mrs. Kang, I believe they were trying to—”

“Hush, I want to hear it from them.”

“We go there more often, Mrs. Kang.” Baekhyun’s voice sounds a lot more innocent than normal. “Just to hang out.”

“You know the east wing is off limits, right?” Mrs. Kang asks, peering at Baekhyun from under her glasses.

Baekhyun stays silent.

Another sigh comes from Mrs. Kang, who is now taking off her spectacles and pinching the bridge of her nose. “I don’t have the energy to deal with this. Joonmyun and Minseok, please escort these two back to their room and make sure they don’t sneak out again. Lock it if necessary.”

Baekhyun obediently follows Joonmyun and Minseok out of the room, but Jongdae stays still, his brain processing some thought before he abruptly turns around, facing Mrs. Kang.

“Is there really something dangerous hiding in the east wing? Is that why you’re enabling a safety protocol?”

Mrs. Kang gives him a sharp look before gazing at the paperwork. “Any answers I have for you now will be announced tomorrow. Wait until then, Jongdae. And don’t get yourself in trouble again.”

Still confused, Jongdae trudges behind Baekhyun, missing the worry flashing across his headmistress’ face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well that turned dark fast!!!!  
> what do you think theyre hiding in that east wing? i know but I'm not telling hehe  
> please leave a comment!!!! comments are an author's best friend :D


	3. III/XVI

A chilly Saturday starts off with studying in the library for the first tests of the year. Jongdae has his head slammed into the books, groaning into the pages. Baekhyun, who is right next to him, is in no better condition, staring at the empty Styrofoam cups littered over his books. The poor guy has lost his sanity. For the last couple of days, Baekhyun has been eating hard-boiled eggs non-stop. The stress has made him unable to hold down anything other than eggs. Jongdae thinks it might be the snake part, but he doesn’t even have the energy to ask.

“I think I’m going to get some more eggs,” Baekhyun mumbles.

“Get me some coffee while you’re at it.”

“No need for that,” another voice chimes in. The next thing Jongdae knows, a large cup of coffee is set atop his books. Jongdae lifts his head and finds Kyungsoo standing there in his large brown coat, books jammed under his arm and a lunchbox in his hand.

“Shouldn’t you be sleeping?” Jongdae asks, his eyes searching for a clock.

“It’s almost nighttime, you guys.” Kyungsoo replies with a grin, taking a chair and placing it between his friends’. “Studying really messes you up, huh?”

Jongdae frowns in confusion, gazing over to the windows to see the sunlight has faded and has been traded in for warm reading lamps. He rubs his eyes tiredly. How could he not have noticed it became dark outside? Kyungsoo is right, studying really messes him up.

Baekhyun finally moves his head up from his books, pleasantly surprised at Kyungsoo’s presence. “Soo!” He yells excitedly, earning a smack from his friend and a glare from the librarian.

“Shut up! People are trying to study, asshole.” Kyungsoo hisses. He gives Jongdae a tired look before plopping the lunchbox on Baekhyun’s notes. “I heard you’re doing that egg stuff again so I brought you some.”

Baekhyun looks baffled. “Thanks, Soo…”

“Don’t think too much of it. I only bought them so you wouldn’t die.”

“Still thoughtful,” Baekhyun mumbles before dropping his head back in his notes.

Kyungsoo ignores him and opens his books with a loud sigh. “Math should be banned.”

“At least it isn’t potion brewing.”

“You take that class? I thought it was for wizards only.”

“They let me since I can’t do anything with my powers. I regret accepting the offer, though. It’s boring as hell and the wizards talk about stuff I don’t understand. This nerd I share a table with won’t shut up about dark magic since the teachers banned us from going to the east wing.”

“Dark magic, huh...” Kyungsoo wonders aloud, placing his chin on his palm. “Do you think the east wing stuff has something to do with dark magic?”

A feeling of bitterness runs through Jongdae’s body. “I don’t know. But my gut feeling tells me it’s not anything good.”

“I agree,” Kyungsoo mumbles somberly. His features suddenly turn hard. “I still can’t believe you went in there. Or let Baekhyun drag you in, at least.”

“We didn’t really go _in_.”

Kyungsoo gives him a pointed look.

“We were curious, okay? I bet you are too.”

“Of course I am.” Kyungsoo replies calmly. “But I don’t want to put myself at risk for a bit of curiosity.”

Jongdae shrugs. “What’s done is done. Let’s just get back to studying.” His eyes drift to Baekhyun’s hunched form. The latter must be tired if he couldn’t sit through Kyungsoo’s and his conversation. “You okay there, Baekhyun?” He asks to be sure.

“No,” Baekhyun grumbles. “I can’t do this anymore.”

Kyungsoo sighs. “You should take a break. Both of you.”

“I can’t,” Jongdae refuses, shaking his head softly. “I have work in a few and I’ll be too tired to study afterwards.”

“You can study more tomorrow,” Kyungsoo suggests, getting up from his seat. “Let’s go.”

Baekhyun doesn’t even look conscious as he trails after Kyungsoo, and Jongdae would have found it funny if he wasn’t so tired. With a low groan, Jongdae rises to his feet and follows his friends’ steps, joints popping along the way.

“Where are we going?” Jongdae whines when Kyungsoo walks past the office.

“We’re going to get some fresh air.”

“But it’s cold outside!” Jongdae protests.

Kyungsoo rolls his eyes and pulls on the wooden door separating them from the cold. As soon as Jongdae feels the icy wind tearing through his cardigan, he hugs himself, shivering. Kyungsoo had never taken off his coat in the first place, so he is fine in this weather – though Jongdae thinks he sees red rising on his ears. The soft light of the entrance lantern makes it hard to see. Baekhyun, clad in close to nothing as always, breathes in the fresh air through his mouth, showcasing his forked tongue. Jongdae will never get used to it.

The thoughts about his friends fade as another gust of wind hits him. “Let’s just go back inside! This is way too cold for me.”

“Baekhyun’s not complaining,” Kyungsoo commentates dryly, cocking his head to Baekhyun with a grin.

“That’s because Baekhyun doesn’t feel anything!”

 Baekhyun gives Jongdae an offended look while Kyungsoo laughs boisterously.

“You seem to have a lot more energy now,” Kyungsoo then says, closing in on Jongdae and placing his pale hand on his lower back.

Jongdae blinks in wonder. It’s true. His body doesn’t feel as heavy anymore and his head is a lot clearer. He no longer feels the fatigue pulling on his eyelids or the ache in his shoulders from his study position. When his eyes trace Baekhyun’s form, the latter looks a lot livelier as well – his bright eyes are piercing through the dark of night and his body is no longer stiff.

Kyungsoo chuckles at Jongdae’s struck look. “Told you so. Let’s get back inside before we catch a cold.”

The three of them shuffle back inside, Jongdae still shivering. As the warmth hits Jongdae’s frozen cheeks, he closes his eyes in pleasure, relishing in the feeling. One of the good things about the cold is coming back inside, where only soft lights are lit and a homey feeling is all around.

“I hope nobody ate my eggs.”

Baekhyun always knows how to ruin a mood.

“No one’s gonna steal hard-boiled eggs, Baekhyun. Especially ones with no seasoning,” Kyungsoo reasons, walking ahead.

Jongdae catches up to him with Baekhyun in tow. They go the same way back, but just as they pass the office, Kyungsoo halts them. Before Jongdae can even open his mouth, Kyungsoo has already placed a finger on his pink lips, signaling them to be quiet.

“We don’t know what it stands for, Mrs. Kang.” The voice is undoubtedly Mr. Lim, Jongdae’s potion brewing teacher. “It could be _anything_! We can’t put these students in danger.”

Jongdae’s eyes widen, snapping his head towards his friends’, who look just as bewildered as him.

“The east wing?” Baekhyun whispers.

Kyungsoo nods his head, “I think so.”

“Mr. Lim, I understand the concern. Trust me, I am just as afraid as you are. But shutting down the school… it’s too much.”

Jongdae’s breath stocks in his throat. The school shutting down? Anything but that!

“We can no longer keep the students here. It’s not safe.”

A loud sigh is heard. “I’ll think about it.”

The three students take that as their cue to leave, quickly breaking into a sprint. No words are exchanged between them as they return to the library to obtain their stuff. Solemn expressions paint their faces as they exit. Jongdae feels hollow.

“L-let’s blow off some smoke in the tower,” Baekhyun suggests with a pained smile. Jongdae and Kyungsoo wordlessly agree, knowing they need to be away from the other students right now.

Two towers stand proud atop Jeolban. One on the end of the west wing, and another one on the end of the east wing. The tower in the east wing is inaccessible due to debris blocking the way, so the trio naturally heads to the west wing. From the outside, the tower seems large, but once inside it is quite small. The walls are thick and the ceiling is low, plus the tower is thinner the higher it reaches.

Another painful silence is between them as they ascend the steep steps of the tower. The first words are said when Jongdae plops down between the rubbish, his butt landing on a soft patch of fabric.

“I don’t know what I’m going to do if the school closes down,” Baekhyun mutters softly, igniting a candle with his lighter. He sets the candle down in between the three of them.

“Me neither,” comes Jongdae’s agreement. With a shaky inhale, his eyes fall to Kyungsoo, who is gazing at the flame with a distant look.

“I really wish you weren’t right about the east wing, Kyungsoo.” Baekhyun sighs.

“You know I’m always right,” Kyungsoo retorts, a small grin playing on his lips. Jongdae can’t fight a smile either.

“Yeah – it’s a little annoying sometimes,” Jongdae commentates, letting out a chuckle. A seriously shocked look paints Kyungsoo’s features, confusing the hell out of Jongdae. Kyungsoo would never get offended at such an offhand comment. “What?” He asks. His eyes dart over to Baekhyun, who looks just as stunned as Kyungsoo.

“Jongdae, you’re…”

“I’m what? Is there something on my face?”

“You’re glowing,” Kyungsoo blurts. “Your eyes are.”

“What?” Jongdae squeaks, immediately reaching up to his face.

“And your ass is too!” Baekhyun commentates, pointing at his lower regions dramatically.

Jongdae looks down, squeaks again, and jumps to his feet. Surprisingly, the glow doesn’t rise up along with his butt. Immediately engaged by the dark red glow coming from the cloth, Jongdae reaches his hand out to lift it up. Kyungsoo slaps his hand away instantly.

“What are you doing?” He squawks. “You can’t just touch something that’s glowing!”

Jongdae sees the panic in Kyungsoo’s eyes, but ignores it, lifting up the cloth anyway. Kyungsoo jumps back immediately, while Baekhyun just moves closer, also captured by the glow.

“It’s a mark,” Baekhyun observes.

“A demonic mark,” Jongdae fills in, reaching out his fingers to touch it. The marking is circular in shape with various lines crossing through. Various words in Demonic are circling around the edge, making it look intimidating.

Just as he wants to lay his fingers on the letters, the door slams open, and a similar light illuminates the room. Joonmyun stands there with Minseok by his side, looking as irritated as ever.

“This part of the school is forbidden for— what is _that_?” Joonmyun gasps.

“It’s a demonic mark,” Baekhyun tells him.

“Did you create that, Jongdae?” Joonmyun asks, frowning.

“Why would I?” Jongdae retorts, baffled. “I’m not even allowed to use my demonic powers!”

“Not being allowed off the school grounds didn’t stop you from getting a part time job either, so why should I believe you?”

Kyungsoo jumps to his defense. “Are you kidding? Jongdae would never do such a thing!”

Joonmyun squints his eyes at Kyungsoo, but a hand on his shoulder distracts him.

“Joonmyun… half-bloods can’t do such powerful dark magic, remember?”

Thank God for Minseok’s ever level-headedness.

Joonmyun visibly calms, his shoulders relaxing and his expression faltering. He clears his throat. “Very well, then.”

“We should take this to the teachers,” Minseok suggests. “If this mark is here it means there is a full-blood necromancer walking these halls.”

Jongdae sees tension slipping back into Joonmyun’s body, and he would be lying if he said he didn’t feel afraid of this situation as well. He meets Baekhyun’s alarmed eyes. Together they pull away from the mark, eyeing it suspiciously.

\---

Mrs. Kang reacts awfully calm to the news. Not a single move is made when Joonmyun tells him what he saw, taking in the information with a blank look. Only after Joonmyun has finished speaking the headmistress moves: pushing up her glasses and moving her gaze to Kyungsoo.

“Were his eyes already glowing when you entered the room?”

“No, Mrs. Kang.” Kyungsoo answers with a shake of his head. “It happened shortly after Jongdae sat down. His eyes slowly started to glow. At first I thought I was imagining it.”

“I see…” Mrs. Kang mumbles.

“I think it might be his demon side,” Minseok suggests firmly. “It was a demonic mark for sure. I’m not surprised that he reacted in such a way.”

The headmistress directs her eyes to Jongdae. “Did you feel anything strange while being in contact with the mark?”

“I didn’t,” Jongdae responds with a shake of his head. “But I wasn’t directly touching it. A cloth was covering it and I didn’t touch it with my hand either.”

Still no expression on Mrs. Kang’s face. It makes Jongdae feel uneasy. This is a potentially dangerous situation, and the headmistress shows no sign of surprise, fear, anger, or any emotion at all. She might be brooding in her mind, but that still does not relieve any tension for Jongdae. After all, hearing about the school getting possibly shut down leads his train of thought to a dangerous place.

“Did a mark like this appear in the east wing too?”

Everyone’s heads whip to Baekhyun. For a split second, Jongdae notices distress on his headmistress’ face, but her features quickly fade back to blank.

A long silence ensues until Mrs. Kang heaves a deep sigh.

“Tomorrow I will give a statement. Retire to your dorms for now.” is all she says before breaking her eye contact with the group of students.

The five of them leave in silence, but Jongdae catches one last look at the headmistress. She has taken off her glasses to wipe her tired eyes. Fatigue has settled into her features and Jongdae feels his heart sink. Jeolban is not a safe haven anymore.

When the door to the office closes, no words are exchanged between the five students. Their expressions are dark and solemn. No scolding Joonmyun, no annoying Baekhyun, no forward Kyungsoo, no ever-wise Minseok, and no cheeky Jongdae. Right now they are half-bloods worried for the safety of the only place they belong.

The silence continues until they arrive at the dormitory, Jongdae being the one to break it.

“I’m going to work now. I’m already late as it is,” he murmurs to Kyungsoo, who smiles sadly.

“Be safe,” he whispers.

Jongdae gives him a brief reassuring nod, moving his body to Baekhyun, who is distant; the latter is avoiding all contact, staring at the ground. Concern sparks through Jongdae, but he lets it rest as he knows Baekhyun would rather be alone.

“Well, I’m going now. See you guys later.”

Only a few feet into the leaves a voice calls out.

“Jongdae, stop.”

Turning around, Jongdae jerks in surprise as Joonmyun is right in front of him. Kyungsoo and Baekhyun are long out of sight, but he notices Minseok not too far away.

“What is it?” Jongdae asks, suddenly irritated at Joonmyun. He’s already late for work and the stress caused by the school’s possible shutdown is not leaving much room for patience.

“You should really quit your job,” Joonmyun insists.

Jongdae rolls his eyes immediately. “I don’t have time for this right now. How about we have this conversation when I sneak back in?”

“Don’t be like that,” Joonmyun hisses. “I’m just concerned. After what happened last time, I really—”

“Oh, save it. You aren’t worried about me. You’re only worried about your pretty little hall monitor job that you might lose if you can’t discipline me.”

Joonmyun looks genuinely hurt at that. Something akin to regret punctures Jongdae’s stomach, but he pushes it away. When he turns away to continue his walk to work, his eyes catch a glimpse of Minseok’s glare.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys are liking this!!!!!! please leave a comment if you did :D I hope it's not boring...  
> have a nice day/evening and good luck to the people taking exams!!!!!


	4. IV/XVI

“I want to check something out,” Baekhyun says out of nowhere. Jongdae and him are in the comfort of their dorm, about to go to bed.

“I’m not going to try to sneak into the east wing again,” Jongdae replies with a sigh.

“We won’t,” Baekhyun assures, tossing Jongdae his coat. “I was thinking… there is a demonic mark in both wings, right?”

“We don’t know for sure.”

“You saw how the headmistress acted. I think it’s safe to say that I’m right about that.”

Jongdae shrugs, “It’s questionable, but okay. Go on.”

“Well, to execute a mark with demonic intentions it should be in the shape of the devil’s star. Don’t you think there would be more than two?”

Jongdae’s lips pull into a fine line, fear engulfing him whole. “You think someone wants to curse our school?”

“Probably something worse…” Baekhyun then shuts his mouth, his gaze becoming distant. “We’re half-bloods. Lots of people want us gone. I wouldn’t be surprised if the mark would be something like death inducement.”

Jongdae frowns at that. “The hate for us is bad… but no one would be willing to go as far as to infiltrate a school, act like either an employee or a student, and then put demonic marks all over the place. Don’t you think it’s a bit far-fetched?”

“People are capable of awful things. You’ve experienced it yourself, Jongdae.” The somber tone to Baekhyun’s words causes Jongdae to go quiet, his gaze falling to the wooden floor.

Baekhyun’s outer appearance has given him many years of suffering. While normally a half-blood is not so easily recognizable, one look at Baekhyun’s intensely colored eyes would tell you what he is.  Before entering Jeolban, Baekhyun was bullied for years on end. School transfers didn’t help and the teachers didn’t care. He rarely talks about it, claiming that’s a Baekhyun he wants to forget about. Jongdae doesn’t blame him. He doesn’t like to remember the night of the assault either.

“I need you for this,” Baekhyun then whispers. “You’re the only one who can awaken the mark. It didn’t glow before you came in contact with it.”

Jongdae has one small moment of hesitance before he nods. “Alright, let’s go.”

After Jongdae puts on his scarf, gloves and coat, and Baekhyun practically nothing, they move out into the cold. Baekhyun struts with determination, the leaves crunching under the soles of his shoes.

“Where are we going to look first?”

“Up north. The devil’s star has five ends and if two of them are in the east and west wing, the top is bound to be in the north.”

“That makes sense,” Jongdae commentates.

The meters-tall metal doors making for the school’s entrance are at the front of the north wing. Jongdae gazes at them with awe. He rarely moves through or past them, as the dormitories as well as the pathway to the town are behind the school. The doors stand out – the hardness of the metal contrasts against the soft-colored bricks of the castle. It’s one hell of a secure door, though. Jongdae thinks this could be the only security measure the school ever spent money on.

Baekhyun suddenly stills in his steps, putting his hands on his hips. Also halting his walk, Jongdae watches as Baekhyun gazes around him.

“Where do you think it could be? I doubt it’s somewhere hidden between the leaves.”

Jongdae shrugs, “No idea.”

“Can’t you sense it with your demonic powers or something?”

“It doesn’t work like that,” Jongdae explains with an unamused tone. “First of all, I don’t use my powers so I wouldn’t know how. Second, the last time we found the mark it was you and Kyungsoo who noticed it, not me.”

“Fair enough,” Baekhyun replies. “But that doesn’t help us.”

“Hmm… if both marks were in the tower… maybe this one is hidden in— oh, I know!” Baekhyun jumps up at Jongdae’s sudden moment of enlightenment, startled by the raise in volume. “The gardener’s shack! It’s right by the gate!”

A grin stretches Baekhyun’s lips. “You’re a genius! We don’t need Kyungsoo anymore!”

Jongdae lets out a laugh at that before strutting in the right direction, Baekhyun following right behind. Though the temperature is below freezing point, Jongdae fails to feel it, too consumed by determination. The shack stands a few feet away from the gates. It is right by an oak, shielded by its leaves in the summer. Baekhyun approaches first, fumbling with the chain around the handle.

“Locked,” he mumbles with a sigh.

“I’ll take care of it,” Jongdae replies.

A questioning look is sent his way before a red light emits from his body, blinding Baekhyun’s line of sight. After a shortening of limbs and lots of hair growth, a small goat stands on a pile of Jongdae’s clothing. Baekhyun tries to hide his laughter, but he doesn’t do so well. Jongdae angles his horns towards his friend threateningly.

Knowing he’s been found out, Baekhyun lets full-blown laughter escape, throwing his head back dramatically. Jongdae blows hot air out of his nose to get Baekhyun’s attention back.

“Oh, come on! It’s funny, Jongdae! I’ll never get over it, you know that.”

If Jongdae could roll his eyes in this form, he would. Focusing back on the task at hand, Jongdae aims his horns at the wooden shack. He builds up his takeoff by taking a few steps back, then charging at the shack full-force. His horns crash through the weak wood no problem, the planks crashing into and around the shack. Jongdae crawls out of the debris, unscathed – though with some splinters stuck in his coat. Baekhyun skips over to him with a grin, ruffling the dust out of his hair.

Jongdae morphs back, immediately reaching for his clothing. He shivers as he pulls up his pants, the cold already seeping into his skin. Great, he’s going to get a cold for sure.

“Look! It’s already glowing!” Baekhyun points out happily while Jongdae is still dressing himself. After zipping up his coat, Jongdae follows Baekhyun’s eyes, seeing the same dark red glow illuminating the debris.

Their expressions turn serious as they approach the mark, gently removing the broken planks. The shack is completely empty inside apart from the mark covering the ground. No gardening equipment of any sort – the hooks on the wall hang empty, devoid of tools.

“The necromancer knew no one would look here,” Jongdae observes, his shocked look mirroring Baekhyun’s. “They have to be really familiar with the grounds to know something like this.”

Baekhyun turns somber, his gaze holding distance again. Jongdae feels the realization of this situation creeping up on him again. Finding these marks is not a good thing at all. Jongdae looks back on their earlier cheerfulness and determination, and a bitter taste is left in his mouth. It’s no longer a mystery – someone really has bad intentions for the school and its people.

The silence between them is heavy. The discrimination half-bloods face has never been taken this far.

Jongdae takes a deep breath. “Let’s just take this to the teachers.”

Without another word, the two of them trudge into the school, heading for the office. As soon as Mr. Yang lays an eye on the two, he heaves a deep sigh.

“What is it now?” he grumbles, returning his eyes to the screen. “You don’t even have classes.”

“We need to talk to the headmistress.”

“I’m afraid Mrs. Kang doesn’t want to be disturbed,” Mr. Yang replies robotically.

“It’s important,” Jongdae insists, tone serious.

Mr. Yang rubs his eyes tiredly before leaning back in his chair. “Listen, I’m halfway through a late shift and I really don’t feel like—”

“It’s about those demonic marks,” Baekhyun chimes in, his voice stern.

Mr. Yang finally looks up from the bright monitor, a frown contorting his eyebrows. “Fine,” he nearly spits. “Go on.”

Jongdae wastes no times and barges into the headmistress’ office. The woman is palming a pencil nervously as her eyes gaze into the darkness outside, lines of worry and fear creasing her face. Those emotions fade the instant her gaze falls upon Baekhyun and Jongdae. Irritation crosses her eyes before she sees the seriousness of their expressions.

“We found another mark, Mrs. Kang,” Jongdae supplies.

Immediate devastation comes over the woman. She doesn’t even try to hide her pain as she buries her head into her hands, shaking from tip to toe. Jongdae looks away, not wanting to see the woman like this. She’s always been a stern, strong leader who emitted nothing but power, and to see her in a state like this is not exactly pleasant. Eventually, she rises from her curled position, jutting out her chest and regaining her stern look. Her hair and eyes look messy, but Jongdae isn’t about to comment on it.

“Where,” she demands, venom in her tone.

“The gardener’s shack.”

“We think the marks are aligned in the position of the devil’s star, Mrs. Kang,” Baekhyun tells her softly.

She nods briefly. “That makes sense,” she mutters. Then, her eyes turn to steel. “Neither of you is to say a word about this to anyone and you will leave this matter alone. Now _go_.”

Jongdae and Baekhyun scurry out of the small office. As they pass Mr. Yang, the man doesn’t even spare them a look, eyes glued to the screen.

Jongdae gives Baekhyun a smile in hopes of cheering him up at least a bit, but it doesn’t end up looking very happy.

\---

“They just announced it. The east wing, west wing tower, school gates, and both dorm storages are off limits. It’s basically confirmed,” Kyungsoo tells Baekhyun and Jongdae shortly after entering the library. He plops down on a chair next to Jongdae, dropping his bag on the table.

Although against the headmistress’ orders, they have decided to _not_ leave the matter alone. None of them want to be kept in the dark, and if the school is not willing to tell them they will find out themselves.

Jongdae strokes his chin. “So… it’s true… It really is a devil’s star.”

“Yeah, and that’s not good news,” Kyungsoo commentates, crossing his arms. “Whatever spell or summoning they’re trying to execute, it’s something destructive or deadly. Or both.”

Jongdae connects his gaze to Baekhyun’s, who looks worried. It’s rare to see Baekhyun wear such an expression. Lately, more of these sullen looks have painted Baekhyun’s features. Jongdae feels concern. A Baekhyun who is anything other than annoying is not a good Baekhyun.

“What do we do now?” Jongdae asks Kyungsoo, knowing he’s always got something ready.

“Let’s find out more about the marks. Maybe we’ll stumble upon a way to destroy them.”

“That seems like a good start.”

The three of them head straight for the only category that matters in their research – dark magic. The selection is rather small as most of the library is dedicated to regular study books, and frankly does not have enough room to store an entire aisle on such dark matters. Besides, it’s not like many half-bloods possess enough power to learn anything from what’s in those books.

Jongdae’s fingers glide over the spines, eyes trying to find a title that will resound with their object of interest. A lot of them do, fortunately. Most of the books are informative books filled with general knowledge about dark magic. Jongdae keeps a few titles in mind while he looks for something a little more specific. Suddenly, his eyes are drawn to a copy of _Demon Physiology_. He resists the urge to immediately rip the book off the shelf. Instead, he softly strokes the spine with two of his fingers. He’s never really done much digging into the demon part of his being, but ever since his demon side awoke at the markings he’s been feeling more curious to that part of him.

Just when he’s about to pull the book out of the shelf, Kyungsoo speaks. “Found something!” he announces in a whisper. In his hands he displays _Magic Markings._ “I immediately noticed we wouldn’t find much useful information in the dark magic category so I searched through regular magic instead.”

“Always smarter than us,” Jongdae commentates with a grin.

Kyungsoo shrugs, “Can’t say I disagree.”

Back at the table, Kyungsoo takes out his notebook, placing it underneath the book. Jongdae studies the cover curiously as Kyungsoo prepares their research. The book is all black, only its title and the author’s name pressed in faded gold. The edges are worn-out and it smells like an untended attic. Feeling rather interested, Jongdae flips it open. The musty smell hits a lot stronger this time, making all three students turn away in disgust. Jongdae’s eyes immediately fall on the ragged brown pages and he sends a questioning look to Kyungsoo, whose nose is scrunched up.

“…I’m going to get another book.” Kyungsoo is gone within a second.

Jongdae gets used to the smell after a while, finding the courage to flip through the pages. The ink-drawn illustrations capture his attention instantly. While Jongdae studies them with wonder, Baekhyun has given up, his head resting on Kyungsoo’s bag.

As Jongdae shuffles through the pages, the chair opposite of him is pulled out with a screech. Jongdae looks up to find Joonmyun peering at him.

“Strange to see you two here. Last time I checked there’s no tests,” he commentates,

pulling several books out of his bag. He adjusts his knitted vest and his fringe, giving Jongdae an expectant look.

Jongdae sends a silent plea to Baekhyun because it’s true. They never come here unless there’s tests to be made. Now they have to make up a believable excuse. Why does Joonmyun always get in the way of things?

“Is everything we do suspicious to you?” Baekhyun asks. Jongdae winces. That’s not a good reply.

“Well, my job is to assure safety on the school grounds. And since the two of you have caused more than enough trouble I think it’s safe to say that anything you two do that is out of the ordinary is suspicious to me.” Joonmyun explains, his eyes glancing at the book on the middle of the table. He points a finger at it. “What’s that?”

Jongdae slams it shut. Only seconds later he realizes what a mistake it is as Joonmyun is reading the title. Jongdae quickly covers it with his hands, but his effort is in vain.

“ _Magic Markings?_ ” Joonmyun splutters in shock. “Jongdae, that’s against the headmistress’ orders! Don’t you know how mad she’s going to be if she finds out?”

“Of course I know,” Jongdae replies with a snort. “But she won’t find out.”

“How are you so sure of that?”

“Well,” Baekhyun begins, “you’re not going to leak this to her because you’re curious too. I know the headmistress is keeping you in the dark, and I know you’d like to know.”

“Th-that’s absurd!” Joonmyun’s face is red by now as he denies the accusation. “I don’t want to know about those—those _evil_ things!” With a huff, he packs up his stuff and struts out of the library.

Jongdae and Baekhyun stare at his retreating figure before sending each other a knowing look. Joonmyun is too easy to read.

\---

Jongdae is barely paying attention in math class when he hears commotion coming from the hallway. Rushed footsteps and panicking voices. The other students notice it too, their heads turning towards the door. Mrs. Yun halts her explanation of an equation as the door creaks open. Mr. Yang from the front desk looks distressed, sweat beading down his temple and his dress shirt all ruffled.

“Mrs. Yun, please send the students back to their dormitories.”

A look of worry immediately passes over Mrs. Yun’s face. She straightens out her plaid dress and her face as well. Clearing her throat, the attention of the students returns to her.

“You heard Mr. Yang. Follow me back to the dorms,” She orders sternly. Jongdae sees the anxiety underneath her seriousness as she waits for the students to line up – the darting of her eyes and the fumbling of her fingers.

Jongdae feels concern creeping up on him as well. If the ever strict and proper Mrs. Yun isn’t anything other than uptight there is something really wrong. With his lips pulled into a tense line, Jongdae follows his classmates. In the hallway are other classes being escorted as well, their faces full of unease.

Mr. Yang suddenly returns, heading straight for their group. He whispers something in Mrs. Yun’s ear, which causes her immediate distraught.

“Joohyun, could you please follow Mr. Yang?”

Joohyun, half a wizard, looks up in shock. “Wh-what for?”

Mr. Yang gives her an uncomfortable smile. “Please come along. We need your abilities.”

“O-okay,” she agrees timidly. While following Mr. Yang, she looks rather anxious.

Jongdae feels rather scared with the current situation, and it doesn’t help when he remembers Joohyun has excellent healing abilities. Chewing his nails, Jongdae can’t help but think someone must have gotten injured.

The walk back to the dorms is filled with hushed chattering, rumors being thrown around. Jongdae ignores all of it and just hopes his friends are safe. Once inside the dormitory, Jongdae immediately rushes to his room. The moment his eyes connect with a vivid yellow pair, relief floods over him.

While Jongdae smiles softly, Baekhyun’s look turns rather grim.

“A girl was attacked,” he tells Jongdae sadly. “She’s comatose.”

Terror strikes Jongdae. “Who did it?”

“They wouldn’t tell. But I think it might be a nymph. And I wouldn’t be surprised if that was the case.”

“Do you think the attackers are behind the marks too?”

“Pretty sure,” Baekhyun answers with a nod.

A silence falls over them. Jongdae plops down on his bed, gazing at a visibly upset Baekhyun.

“Are you okay?” Jongdae dares to ask. His voice is soft, careful. This is the first time he’s ever had to ask, so he rather thread this subject with caution.

“Not really,” Baekhyun replies with a sad laugh. “It’s just… memories of the bullying are coming back with all this violence against us. I don’t understand why they just can’t leave us alone.”

“I’m sorry,” Jongdae murmurs, sending his friend a comforting look.

“It’s fine. Let’s just hope the teachers will do something before it gets out of hand. This attack should wake them up.”

Jongdae watches as Baekhyun dives under his blanket, only a tuft of hair sticking out.  With a bitter smile, Jongdae directs his gaze to the ceiling, his mind wandering.  

The situation has gotten a whole lot worse and Jongdae is itching to find out more about who is behind all this and why Jeolban is being targeted. Although he has a hunch on both, nothing is too sure, and that’s what scares Jongdae. Their knowledge is too limited – who made those marks? When were they made? What are the intentions behind this? The school could face another attack tomorrow and they wouldn’t be able to stop it.

With a bitter taste left in his mouth, Jongdae turns on his side and tries not to think too much.

\---

The start of a new day has Jongdae, Baekhyun, and Kyungsoo returning to the library. Kyungsoo eagerly opens _Magic Markings_ , no longer minding its awful odor.

“I don’t remember what the mark looked like in exact detail, but I found a few that look pretty much alike,” Kyungsoo tells them, flipping to a bookmarked page. The illustration closely resembles what they stumbled upon in the tower. “This mark is made to summon a demon. If made in the shape of a devil’s star it could potentially summon several demons, but I doubt this is the one. The only reason I suspected this could be our mark is because demons react when touching it on our side.”

“It looks a lot like the mark that we saw, though.” Jongdae commentates.

“A lot of demonic marks look like this. It’s the scripture in Demonic that makes them different,” Kyungsoo explains.

“I’m starting to think you know more about demons than me,” Jongdae jokes, causing his friends some laughter.

“Okay,” Kyungsoo says, moving on by slipping to the next bookmark. “This one is used as a portal. This one seemed likely because it holds the power to transport dozens of people at once. If they’re planning an army-driven attack, this would be of use.”

“Where will they come through, then?” Baekhyun asks. “On the marks themselves or somewhere in the middle? I mean, I don’t really see an army climbing through the gardener’s shack.”

Kyungsoo purses his lips, peering over the page. “It doesn’t say anything about that. But it’s a good point. I’ll keep it in mind,” he says, turning the pages in the book. “This mark is also likely. Very likely, I must say. It’s a destruction spell. Basically, everything within the devil’s star will be destroyed by a magic blast.”

“I have a feeling that this is the mark we saw,” Baekhyun suggests bitterly. “It’s convenient and effective. Wiping out both us and the school.”

“You could say that,” Kyungsoo affirms. “But this spell is easily deflected by force fields. In fact, it says right here that even a force field generated by a _half-blood_ could stop it.”

Both Jongdae and Baekhyun look up at that. It’s rare for half-bloods to have effective and strong magic.

“Are there more?” Jongdae inquires, gaze falling back to the book.

“Well, there are a lot of similar ones. Mostly variations of the ones I’ve just mentioned. A powerful demon mark is very difficult to execute well, and they look a lot different too so I excluded those. The ones that are left are strong but easily deflected or come with downsides.”

“How strange...” Jongdae mumbles to himself.

The three of them get lost in their own thoughts for a little while. The somber expressions painting his friends’ faces tells Jongdae what they’re thinking about. All these spells have no friendly intention. There is someone out there who wants half-bloods dead.

The three of them are snapped out of their thoughts as someone clears their throat loudly. They turn around to find Joonmyun staring at the library tiles, holding a hand behind his back. There’s a nervous look on his face, and his body language accompanies it – his free hand fumbles to straighten his hair and his lips keep twitching.

“I-I…” Joonmyun begins, his voice soft, “I found something.”

Kyungsoo raises a questioning brow.

“I found something that might h-help you,” he adds, holding out the hand that was previously behind his back. A crinkled sheet with inked words. Jongdae snatches it out of Joonmyun’s grip the moment he recognizes the jagged scripture as Demonic.

“What is this?” Baekhyun asks, peering at the paper in fear.

“It’s a letter I found behind our dorm,” Joonmyun answers softly. “I translated it and it says… bad things. About us.”

“Bad things?” Jongdae repeats, frowning.

“Well… first off it explained the plan with the marks, what the recipient was supposed to do… and then there was a chant that went something like… _banish all half-bloods back to hell_ … or something like that.”  Joonmyun’s words get softer at the end, and Jongdae feels the dread set in. The threat feels very real right now.

“Did it say who it was addressed to?” Kyungsoo asks, taking the letter from Jongdae.

Joonmyun shakes his head. “No. I don’t think they would be that stupid. The letter did contain a self-destruct seal but the spell obviously failed.”

“What about a sender?”

Joonmyun licks his lips nervously, pointing at an elegant scribble on the bottom of the letter. “This signature right here is the leader of these attacks…”

Jongdae scans the signature, only noticing now that, unlike the rest of the letter, it’s not in Demonic. It’s a curled and neat lettering of someone’s name.

“Luhan…” Baekhyun gasps.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> dun dun DUN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  
> hello everyone!!!!! Isn't this an exciting update??? and a (somewhat) long one as well????? we finally got goat!chenno!!!!!!  
> I have no idea if the plot is actually interesting or not, so please leave a comment if you liked it!!! It would really mean a lot to me<3 plus comments motivate me (they motivate every author really) so if u leave a comment the chances of me finishing the next chapter earlier will increase!!!  
> lots of kisses and until next time<3


	5. V/XVI

“Luhan is… well… quite well-known for his hate of half-bloods,” Joonmyun explains after Baekhyun fell silent. “Unsurprisingly, he’s a nymph.”

Jongdae’s mind flashes back to the attack. The night where he was beat up for basically nothing other than his bloodline. Bitterly, Jongdae gazes to the floor – unwillingly recalling the horrendous event. Back then, Jongdae thought it was just an ordinary assault by people who just happened to hate his mixed blood. But Jongdae has realized it’s everything but a coincidence. These attacks are purposely targeted on half-bloods.

“You okay?” He hears Kyungsoo ask. Snapping out of his thoughts, Jongdae gives his friend a weak smile before tuning back into the conversation.

“I’m fine,” Jongdae replies, hoping his voice doesn’t sound too shaky. As Kyungsoo and Baekhyun engage in a conversation, Jongdae catches Joonmyun’s gaze. The latter wears a worried expression, looking as if he wants to reach out and comfort Jongdae, but the moment their eyes meet Joonmyun flinches and turns away.

“If I may ask, do you know him personally?” Joonmyun directs his question to Baekhyun, who seems upset.

“No, not at all. It’s just…” Baekhyun bites his lip. “When I attended a magic school for a while, the nymphs who bullied me there idolized him. He’s some sort of… leader? I don’t really know. I’d rather not think about it.”

“That’s okay,” Kyungsoo immediately interjects, placing a comforting hand on his friend’s shoulder. “Don’t force yourself to talk about it.”

Baekhyun shoots him a grateful smile before turning quiet again.

“We should probably look more into—”

The double library doors suddenly slam open, disturbing its silence. Mr. Lim stands there in his lab coat, a stern look on his face.

“The school has enforced a new curfew that regulates around class. You will be in your dorms the moment your classes for the day end,” he announces with a boisterous voice. “Back to your dorms, _now_.”

Whispers break out between the students, their faces paling with worry. Kyungsoo grabs Baekhyun by the arm and pushes him into Jongdae’s body.

“Stay together if any panic breaks out,” he tells them strictly.

“What about you?” Jongdae asks.

Kyungsoo waves him off, “I’ll be fine,” he assures. “Now, let’s get out of here.”

Baekhyun quickly sets a pace towards the exit, dragging Jongdae along. Remembering Joonmyun is still with them, Jongdae looks back on their original spot, but seeing it deserted. Unexplainable worry strikes him and his eyes dart between the mass of evacuating students to find the wizard. Although his arm is still being pulled violently, Jongdae manages to spot Joonmyun’s neat haircut between the crowd. The goodie two-shoes is speaking to Mr. Lim, unsurprisingly. Jongdae ignores the relief and focuses on keeping up with Baekhyun.

Just as they turn the corner, teachers rush past, making them jump back in shock. Baekhyun’s grip on his arm tightens.

“What’s going on?” He whispers shakily.

Sensing panic from Baekhyun’s tone alone, Jongdae tries to look for Kyungsoo, but he’s long lost in the crowd.

“The teachers are handling this, Baekhyun.” He tries to assure after seeing fear in his friend’s face. “Don’t worry. We’re going back to our dorm and the teachers will deal with whatever’s going on.”

Despite Baekhyun’s troubled look, Jongdae drags him to the exit. The cold hits him hard, but he ignores it for Baekhyun’s sake. There’s immediate loud chattering, even hearable with the howling wind. The dormitory is crowded outside. From where he’s standing, Jongdae only sees two teachers, who are occupied by writing down the names of those who enter. With a sigh, Jongdae and Baekhyun join the line. After several minutes in the freezing cold, the two finally get to go inside, rushing to their room the moment their feet touch the doormat.

As soon as Jongdae is in a blanket on his bed, he sends an anxious gaze to Baekhyun, who doesn’t look much better. Biting his lip, Jongdae holds his blanket open for his friend to join, even though he knows Baekhyun won’t feel the warmth. He knows Baekhyun will appreciate the gesture, though. Baekhyun stops pacing as he sees Jongdae’s invitation and immediately curls up with his friend.

“This doesn’t look good at all,” Baekhyun whispers. “Not in the slightest bit.”

“I know,” Jongdae replies softly, nervously plucking at a loose thread on the blanket.

“I’m _scared_ , Jongdae.” He then mutters. “We don’t know anything. They could be preparing to close down the school and we wouldn’t know. We could be in life-threatening danger!”

Jongdae keeps mum at that.

“I’m scared I’ll have to go back to some human school where I’ll be treated as a freak again. Or even worse – a magical school where I’ll be nothing more than someone to pick on.” Baekhyun takes a deep breath. “Jeolban is the only good thing that’s happened to me. I’m normal here, I have friends here. I don’t want this to be taken from me.”

“Me neither,” Jongdae agrees firmly.

“What are we going to do if Jeolban closes down, Jongdae?” Baekhyun asks desperately. “We’ll stay together with Kyungsoo, right?”

Jongdae grabs his hand. “Let’s not think about that. I doubt they’re going to shut down the school without notifying us first. If they do, I promise I’ll stay with you.”

Baekhyun then goes silent, the expression in his eyes becoming distant again. He must be in his thoughts. With a sigh, Jongdae leans back against the wall, wondering what the hell is going on.

One power nap later, and Jongdae shakes out of his dream. Baekhyun is awake, scrolling through his cellphone. He notices Jongdae’s movement and smiles weakly. His hand reaches for a paper on the nightstand and he tosses it to Jongdae.

“New rules,” he explains. “They are to be enforced from the moment this was slipped under our door.”

Jongdae gazes down at the laminated sheet in front of him.

 _NEW RULES_ , it says in big, bold letters. _1\. Students are to retire to their dorms when class ends and only to leave when class starts. 2. Leaving the school grounds is prohibited and will be punished by detention. 3. No one is to use magic without a teacher’s permission. 4. Tampering with the force fields will be punished by expulsion._

“Force fields?” is the first thing Jongdae asks.

“Yeah, they put a few around the school. Or at least, that’s what I heard from Minseok.”

“What for?”

“More nymph attacks,” Baekhyun answers bitterly. “Apparently, four more students have been attacked and are recovering in the infirmary.”

Jongdae saddens at that. Sighing, he goes over the rules one more time.

“Wait… rule number two… does this mean the grounds are being patrolled now?”

“I think there might be some sort of security. But I know the force fields will stop anyone from both exiting and entering.”

“But that means I have to quit my job!” Jongdae exclaims dramatically. “This blows.”

“Well, you don’t have the privilege to spend money anymore since we’re stuck here for the time being, so at least you’re not losing any money.” Baekhyun tells him with a grin.

“I rest my case!” Jongdae states, crossing his arms defensively.

 ---

Despite the strong discouragement from headmistress Kang, the three of them won’t stop their research. Since the markings are deflected for the time being, they leave that category alone and try to find out more about nymphs, namely Luhan. Unfortunately, the library doesn’t give them a lot of options.

It doesn’t surprise Jongdae that they hold no nymph-specific books. After all, nymphs wouldn’t want books about them to end up in a library for half-bloods, and half-bloods like to stay away from them as much as possible. There are general encyclopedias on magical creatures that have a small section on nymphs, but there’s simply no books explaining their psychology and other possibly valuable aspects. If there was internet on Jeolban it would be a lot easier.

But since it’s not easy, Baekhyun came with a ridiculous plan. Sneaking out of the school grounds to an internet café in the nearby town. Despite the rule-breaking nature of this plan, Kyungsoo and Jongdae didn’t take long to agree. In fact, Kyungsoo didn’t even scold him for bringing it up. Miraculously, Kyungsoo didn’t interfere with any of Baekhyun’s planning, trusting him for once. He followed every instruction Baekhyun gave, and so did Jongdae.

Which is why Jongdae and Kyungsoo have been waiting in the freezing cold for over ten minutes. Baekhyun told them to wait behind the dorm by the edge of the force fields at sundown, and to run if anyone spotted them. That has Kyungsoo feeling worried.

“Calm down, Kyungsoo.” Jongdae tells him with a chuckle. “You’re shaking like a leaf.”

“Do you realize what kind of trouble we’ll be in if we get caught?” Kyungsoo retorts, his face serious.

“You worry too much! Baek and I do these things all the time.”

“Yeah, but back then you weren’t in danger of being expelled!”

“We won’t,” Jongdae waves his friend’s worry off. “Just relax. We’ll be fine. And if we get caught, I’ll let you tell the teachers that we forced you into it.”

Kyungsoo heaves a deep sigh at that. “That’s sweet but—”

“Hey guys!” A voice interrupts.

The two of them gaze at the source of the sound to find Baekhyun with a girl behind him. He’s grinning naughtily.

“I’m so excited!” He exclaims. Then he grabs the girl’s hand and pulls her forward. “Jongdae, Kyungsoo, this is Soojung! She’s going to make a hole in the field for us to pass through.”

“Nice to meet you,” she greets with a smile.

“I thought only full-blood wizards could do that sort of thing?” Kyungsoo asks.

“Nope!” Soojung answers. “Well, I’m one of the exceptions actually. My mother came from a very pure lineage of wizards so I’m quite powerful for a half-blood.”

“That’s amazing!” Jongdae commentates. “How the hell did Baekhyun get you to agree to this, though? I mean, nearly anyone would avoid this sort of trouble.”

Soojung laughs at that, shooting Baekhyun a knowing look. “I was indebted to Baekhyun. He took revenge on my ex for me. I’m also not a fan of these new rules so I don’t mind breaking them.”

“Even when you could be expelled?” Kyungsoo asks, raising his eyebrow.

Soojung shrugs. “I doubt they’re going to suspect it was me. After all, in the eyes of the teachers I’m a good girl.”

Baekhyun proudly pats her on the shoulder. “Let’s get on with it, shall we?”

“Sure!”

Soojung steps forward, reaching her hand out to feel the force field. The force field is translucent, thus hard to spot in the darkness of the night. Soojung finds it with ease, however. Her powers naturally draw her to it. Where her hand is in contact with the force field, it lights up, a white glow illuminating their bodies. Kyungsoo looks nothing short of anxious, looking over his shoulder nervously. Despite their friend’s worry, Baekhyun and Jongdae watch in amazement as Soojung’s hand starts radiating a strong blue.

Her face contorts in struggle as she tries her hardest to make a hole in the force field. Eventually, Jongdae sees a tiny hole beginning to form, slowly expanding from where her hand touches the shield. Kyungsoo is chewing on his nails by now. Jongdae lets out a laugh at his friend’s paranoid state and pats his shoulder comfortingly. Meanwhile, Baekhyun is gaping at Soojung’s magic, completely entranced with the hole in the force field.

Eventually, a hole big enough for a tall man to climb through stretches over the force field. With a grunt, Soojung stops the expansion, clenching her hand in the wall.

“All done,” she whispers, completely out of breath. “Go in quickly. The longer the gap is there the sooner someone will notice.”

“Thanks, Soojung.” Baekhyun shoots her a genuine smile, which she returns. “I’ll call you when we’re back, okay?”

“Sure,” she answers.

Baekhyun steps through the hole first, not a care in the world. Jongdae follows, cautiously to avoid touching the shield. When both of them are on the other side, they look back on Kyungsoo, who is looking rather unsure. His brows are furrowed as he studies the edge of the gap, as if calculating his next move.

“Come on, Soo! We don’t have all day!” Baekhyun exclaims.

Kyungsoo flinches, bites his lip, then closes his eyes before sprinting through the hole. Once he opens his eyes, he’s met with Baekhyun’s cheeky grin and Jongdae’s raised eyebrow. Soojung, on the other hand, just gives him a weird look before dropping her hand, instantly repairing the gap. One last wave and she’s gone.

“Let’s go!” Baekhyun cheers, skipping through the small shrubbery.

“I really don’t like this,” Kyungsoo confesses as he follows Baekhyun’s steps into the woods.

“Too late!” Jongdae chimes in with a laugh. “Don’t worry so much, Kyungsoo. We’re already off the grounds, so if they catch us, it will be when we get back.”

“That really doesn’t make me feel better,” Kyungsoo replies bitterly.

It takes a twenty-minute walk and a whole lot of Baekhyun’s obnoxious chattering for them to arrive at the edge of the town. The small town is completely deserted, which is not exactly strange for this time of the night. It still gives off an eerie feeling. Jongdae steps closer to his friends, having never felt safe in this town again after that attack. The streets are only lit by awful TL-streetlights, some flickering ominously. Kyungsoo senses his discomfort and sends him a worried gaze.

“So, um, where is this internet café? Is it even open at this hour?” Kyungsoo asks as they turn a corner, onto the main street.

“Of course!” Baekhyun exclaims. “It’s a twenty-four-hour internet café. You didn’t think I would sneak you out to a closed store, did you?”

“You never know these kinds of things with you, Baekhyun.” Kyungsoo retorts dryly.

Baekhyun feigns an offended expression at that, clutching his chest as if Kyungsoo’s words actually hurt him. Meanwhile, Jongdae spots a suspicious group of people by the alley they’re about to pass. Their clothes are dark and hooded, their figures shielding whatever it is that they’re trying to hide. As the three half-bloods come closer, a voice can be heard.

“And they _must_ pay for what has been done to my father,” someone preaches. “We can no longer let these _savages_ run around freely as if they are not a threat to our society! They must be wiped out!”

An eerie feeling strikes Jongdae in the stomach. Distressed by such hateful words, the three huddle closer together, trying to not to pull any attention to them.

“The absolute worst thing about these filthy half-bloods is that they have the _audacity_ to think that they are worth of special treatment,” the same voice spits.

Jongdae and his friends freeze in their steps, alarm bells going off in their heads.

“That school of theirs should be burned to the ground, along with its students!” Cheers erupt among the shadowy figures, which the three of them take as a cue to get away from these people as fast as possible.

That doesn’t happen before Jongdae catches a glimpse of the man behind the voice. Nymphs are generally attractive and pleasing to the eye, but this nymph exceeds all of those standards. His ivory skin and pouty pink lips, the soft colors on his cheeks and the charming arch of his brows – Jongdae knows he will never forget that face. Everything is pretty about this nymph, everything except his eyes; the brown irises fired up with nothing but revulsion and rage.

They manage to run away without attracting any attention. Baekhyun dials Soojung the moment they step back into the woods, his voice desperate. Kyungsoo is as white as a sheet and Jongdae is too numbed by the face of the nymph to feel anything.

When the pace is slowed down to walking, Jongdae opens up:

“I think that guy was Luhan,” he gasps. “The guy who was saying all those things.”

“You saw him?” Kyungsoo asks in wonder.

“I think I did. I mean, he definitely looked like he came from a good lineage. He was…” Jongdae is at sudden loss of words. “He was… I can’t describe it. I was immediately pulled to him, like I didn’t want to look away.”

“Well, that’s what nymphs are known for,” Kyungsoo commentates resentfully.

“But when I got attacked by those other nymphs, I didn’t feel the same way,” Jongdae argues.

“It has to be his lineage, then. We all know the purer a nymph is, the stronger.”

This whole situation is leaving a bitter taste in Jongdae’s mouth. The hate speech was beyond horrifying. Jongdae has known all his life that there is a strong dislike for half-bloods, but hearing it being said so explicitly, with so much feeling, is just terrifying. He can’t imagine what Baekhyun must feel right now. The poor guy is probably remembering some buried memories.

When the three of them eventually reach the edge of the school grounds, Soojung is waiting for them. At first she seems confused, but as her eyes detect their solemn and frightened looks, she goes mum. Not a single question is asked as she repeats the slow process of creating a gap in the force field. She only wears a worried expression every now and then, mostly directed towards Baekhyun. It’s strange for him to be this quiet, and even though Jongdae has gotten used to it these days, it must be a complete surprise for Soojung.

After a long, dead silence, they are back on the right side of the school. Jongdae is about to comment on the fact that Kyungsoo didn’t have to worry, but a loud clearing of the throat stops him. An orange colored light gleams from a hand, slowly brightening to reveal Joonmyun’s face. Jongdae’s stomach drops.

“You do realize that both tampering with the force fields and leaving the school grounds is against the rules?” He asks, raising an eyebrow.

“We know,” Baekhyun answers timidly, visibly surprising Joonmyun.

“And we’re really sorry about it,” Kyungsoo adds, looking as remorseful as possible.

A short silence ensues in which Jongdae feels cold sweat on his back. They could get kicked out of school for this. Soojung is shaking in her spot, keeping her head low.

“I’ll let this slide,” Joonmyun decides. “Now go back to your dorm before I change my mind.”

“Oh, thank you!” Kyungsoo cries out, immediately sprinting off to the night dorm.

As soon as the relief has settled in, Jongdae follows Soojung and Baekhyun.

“Jongdae,” Joonmyun then calls, causing Jongdae to flinch. “Could you come over here for a second?”

Jongdae shuffles back with fear in his eyes, wondering what Joonmyun could possibly want from him.

“What is it?” He asks, trying to seem unfazed.

Unexpectedly, a blush appears on Joonmyun’s cheeks. Jongdae can’t believe his eyes. “I, uh, found something that might be of good use,” he stammers, reaching into his bag. “I heard about what you and your friends are… researching and um, well…”

A book is shoved into Jongdae’s arms.

“I-it’s something from the library at home. I didn’t think I’d ever have a use for it here,” he admits shyly.

Completely baffled, Jongdae gazes over the copy of _Nymphs: All You Need to Know._ The book is small in his hands, but at least two hundred pages thick.

“I’m—wow, Joonmyun… thank you,” Jongdae mutters. “This is so useful… thank you so much!”

Joonmyun turns embarrassingly red. “Y-you didn’t get it from me!” He splutters before rushing away.

Jongdae watches the wizard leave with a wide grin. Their trip wasn’t so hopeless after all.

 ---

The force field holds up for about two weeks before another attack is reported. And another. The two students were attacked at the same time at night, just when they were about to go to class. It has the school shaken up again. Both students and teachers are growing more paranoid with each passing day.

Jongdae ignores his fear in favor of finding more about what’s happening. They have a pretty good lead – it is sure Luhan is behind this. The letter and his speech in town are more than enough indication. Why and how are still unanswered questions. The why is somewhat answered; nymphs naturally hate something that is not crafted by mother nature – something that isn’t in its natural state. But that’s not enough to start an attack and possibly kill. There is another reason. Something rooted deeper than the instincts. Jongdae just knows it. That look in Luhan’s eyes held such a blunt rage, so much fire, so much _hate_. Jongdae shudders just thinking of it.

The bell rings, reminding Jongdae that he’s actually in class. He hasn’t been able to concentrate at all in class lately. No one has. He packs up his books and moves to the hallway, where Baekhyun jumps him with the widest grin.

“First snow, Jongdae!” He exclaims, flailing his arms towards the windows.

Jongdae snaps his head towards the grimy windows, eyes widening. How could he have missed this? Even through the dusty, filthy windows he sees the little flakes floating down, coating the world white. Jongdae immediately feels excitement sifting through his skin, and Baekhyun seems to feel the same – pulling Jongdae along the hallway. He glances through each passing window until they are outside.

Baekhyun immediately drops face first in the snow, carving snow angels with his body. Jongdae is tempted to do it as well, but he doesn’t feel like catching hypothermia. Not having cold blood sucks. Instead, he drops armfuls of snow on top of Baekhyun, creating some kind of blanket. Baekhyun revels in the feeling, the texture being nothing but softness for him.

The people who are walking back to their dorm stare at them strangely. Seeing someone this unaffected by snow is weird, even in a school designated for half-bloods. Baekhyun and Jongdae are blissfully unaware, however. The two of them are now engaged in a snowball fight – or rather a snow _clump_ fight, since both of them just smash two hands of snow together before hurling it at the other.

“You suck!” Jongdae yells out after Baekhyun misses another shot.

“You’re one to talk! You haven’t even hit me _twice_!” Baekhyun replies with a grin, dodging another one of Jongdae’s pathetic throws.

Jongdae lands with his butt in the cold snow after escaping two snowballs thrown at the same time.

“Now my ass is wet! Thanks, asshole.” Jongdae grumbles. Meanwhile, Baekhyun is dying of laughter. He has dropped to his knees, wheezing out waves of laughter. At first it’s irritating to Jongdae because this wet-clothing situation is awfully cold, but as Baekhyun’s laughter fails to stop, Jongdae finds himself grinning along. “Shut up,” he whispers teasingly, pushing his friend by the shoulder.

They are still giggling when rushed footsteps come their way. The crackling of the snow under boots signals the arrival of someone, and Baekhyun and Jongdae turn to find Mr. Yang looking distraught.

“You are friends of Do Kyungsoo, right?”  

Panic immediately settles into Jongdae’s bones. He looks over to his friend, but all the expression has melted from Baekhyun’s face.

“Yes, why do you ask?” Jongdae answers with furrowed brows.

“Please come with me to the infirmary,” Mr. Yang whispers. “He’s been attacked.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> >:)  
> I'm cackling right now I feel so powerful lol  
> thank yall for ya sweet comments and kudos!!! comments really motivate me so special thanks to all of you who left them!!!!!  
> happy holidays to you guys!!!


	6. VI/XVI

While Jongdae is still in a shell-shocked state, Baekhyun has moved on from the blow and has rushed off. Mr. Yang glances at Jongdae awkwardly before the student is off as well, sprinting after his friend. He hurries through the troubled crowd Baekhyun has left behind, pushing through the muttering students. Baekhyun is a lot faster than him, so fast that he eventually fades out of view. When Jongdae finally arrives at the infirmary, the heavy doors have just closed.

Pushing the doors back open in urgency, Jongdae’s eyes only have to search for a second before they fall on Kyungsoo. Several wires are hooked to his arms, nose, and chest. His face is paler than usual, drained of any usual bloodstream. This kind of lifeless appearance on Kyungsoo affects Jongdae strongly. Kyungsoo may not be the warmest guy, but he never looks this… _dead_. Jongdae swallows thickly, eyes falling to the collapsed figure by the side of Kyungsoo’s bed. Baekhyun is shaking. His fists are clenched in the white sheets, pulling on the fabric as if he’s holding on for dear life.

Jongdae struggles to make way to his friends. His body feels heavier with every step, as if his bones and organs have turned to concrete. He sinks through his knees next to Baekhyun, wrapping an arm around him. It makes his friend look up, and Jongdae feels his heart drop at the sight of Baekhyun’s tearful face. His eyes are hazy and red around the rims, his cheeks are stained with tear tracks, and his lip is trembling.

Jongdae can’t take the sight of his friends like this. Baekhyun _never_ cries. With a shaky intake of breath, Jongdae gets back up, gazing one last time at Kyungsoo’s barren face before turning around. The nurse is watching them from a short distance. Her eyes are dull when she locks her with Jongdae’s.

“Could we have some water?” Jongdae croaks.

“Of course,” she complies, whispering.

During the time that the nurse retrieves said water, Jongdae doesn’t find the strength to look back to his friends. The earlier look on Baekhyun’s face has left him constricted, unable to breathe, so he doesn’t dare to face it again. By the time the nurse hands him the glasses of water, Baekhyun has become audible. The choked sobs and sniffles resounds painfully in Jongdae’s ear as he sets one of the glasses down on the nightstand. The other one he finishes in a long swig to keep the tears down, setting it on the nightstand as well.

A silence falls. It only lasts shortly because the doors open, this time with a distressed Joonmyun coming through. He gasps softly when his eyes fall on Kyungsoo. With a sympathetic look, he shuffles over to Jongdae and holds him by the shoulder.

“Why…” Baekhyun moans against the bed. “Why did they attack Kyungsoo? What happened?”

The nurse purses her lips, hesitant to tell. “His absence was noticed when the teacher took attendance in class. We found him like this in the snow. He has some internal organ damage and is drained from blood. He won’t die… but he won’t be waking up for a few days.”

The relief of Kyungsoo not dying lifts a tiny weight off Jongdae’s shoulders, but to know Kyungsoo went through the same thing as he did –though to a more severe degree– makes the tears flow down his cheeks. Baekhyun sobs against the comforter as well, grabbing Kyungsoo’s cold, limp hand. Jongdae wants to hold on to Kyungsoo too, but just as he reaches out, Joonmyun pulls him back into his embrace. The arms feel foreign around him, the way Joonmyun holds him is so different than what he is used to – so much tighter. The warmth, however, is more than familiar, and Jongdae welcomes it, letting himself drown in it. His tears keep on flowing and he’s sure a sob or two slipped past his lips, but he pays attention to none of that as Joonmyun catches his sadness and washes it all away with his fingers, softly carding them through Jongdae’s hair.

When Jongdae feels okay again, he slowly backs out of the embrace. Joonmyun’s eyes are still filled with concern, so Jongdae gives him a small smile.

“Sorry for crying on you,” he whispers.

“That’s okay,” Joonmyun replies. A soft smile appears on his lips and Jongdae swears he feels his heart skip a beat.  
Jongdae turns back to his friends, ready to face them after relieving his tears. Baekhyun has taken a seat on the bed, pushing Kyungsoo’s short fringe out of his face.

“Are you okay?” Jongdae asks, putting his hand on Baekhyun’s shoulder.

“How could they do this to him?” Baekhyun utters, tears glistening in his eyes. “Anyone but Kyungsoo… anyone…”  
Jongdae sits down next to his friend and slings an arm around him. “It’ll be okay. Kyungsoo will be okay.”

“How did this happen?” Baekhyun asks, rasping through the words. “I thought the force fields were fixed? Didn’t they fix them after those girls got attacked?” Baekhyun gazes at Joonmyun for answers on that one.

“There is an inside force,” Joonmyun answers carefully. “We believe it is the same person who created the marks. The force fields… a very powerful wizard is deflecting them momentarily so nymphs can sneak in, or so I’ve heard.”

“What a fucked up thing to do,” Baekhyun commentates hoarsely.

Joonmyun ignores the foul language, agreeing with Baekhyun instead. “Taking advantage of our trust like that… despicable.”

A silence falls. Jongdae gazes over Kyungsoo’s face, finding comfort in reminding himself that Kyungsoo won’t be taken from them. Baekhyun is playing with the fingers of Kyungsoo’s hand, cupping and stroking them as if it was the last time he’d ever touch them.

After a while, Joonmyun gets up. “I should go back to class now. I already informed the office of your absence so you won’t need to worry about that.”

“Thanks, Joonmyun.” Jongdae says with genuine feelings. “I appreciate it a lot.”

A pretty blush appears on Joonmyun’s cheeks as he smiles. “No problem,” he replies, so soft Jongdae could barely hear it. “Take care of yourselves,” is the last thing he says before leaving.

“He’s been… _nice_ lately,” Baekhyun commentates as the doors close.

“We’re all going through hard times right now.”

 ---

Jongdae doesn’t sleep well that night. His worry for Kyungsoo’s health keeps him awake, and Baekhyun’s absence doesn’t help either. Baekhyun hasn’t left Kyungsoo’s side at all, refusing to leave his friend alone. While it isn’t rare for Baekhyun’s bed to be empty, knowing that he’s feeling so awful and not being able to do anything about it plagues Jongdae.

Staring at Baekhyun’s strewn comforter doesn’t help either.

With a sigh, Jongdae throws his blanket off. He tiptoes through the mess on the floor, hoping his limited sight won’t let him set his foot in any leftover food. When he successfully makes it through the door without tripping, he turns on the lights. It’s way too bright for someone who has been lying in the dark for quite a while. He blinks rapidly until his sight is adjusted to the horrible fluorescent light.

The mess in the room is depressing, so Jongdae decides to at least wash their clothes and maybe take a shower. He tries his hardest not to breathe in when he collects the odor-rich clothing, and refuses to hold his nose above the basket when he’s taking it down the hall. After leaving his clothes in the washing machine, Jongdae returns to his room to gather the proper items for a shower. No one is in the bathroom at this hour, which is quite strange. It may be late, but since all students are to be in the dorm at all times now you’d expect there to be at least a singular person. Jongdae shrugs it off and proceeds to take a shower.

The moment he pushes the door open, he sees a familiar figure over by the sinks. Their eyes meet in the reflection of the mirror and Jongdae’s eyes widen in recognition.

“What are you doing here?” Jongdae asks. “Shouldn’t you be patrolling with Joonmyun?”

Minseok’s face remains blank for a strange number of seconds before he smirks. “Joonmyun is asleep. We’re no longer allowed to do late night patrolling.”

“Really? That’s strange.” Jongdae frowns. “The other night he totally caught us. It was a lot later than it is now.”

“Oh, _that_.” Minseok recalls with a chuckle. “Joonmyun told me about all the things you did. The things you’re doing.”

“You mean the sneaking out?”

“Not just that. The research stuff as well. About the nymphs and stuff,” Minseok fills in, turning around so they face each other directly. He crosses his arms over his chest and Jongdae only now sees how much muscle the guy has. “You know, I actually know a thing or two about nymphs. And about Luhan.”

“Luhan?” Jongdae gasps. “You know him?”

“Not personally, of course. But I know a thing or two. For a fact, I know he’s planning an attack on this school.”

“Well, that’s already obvious.”

“Yeah, but he’s leading some kind of rebellion. That speech you saw in town is part of his preparation. He’s gathering all those nymphs close by the school and riles them up so he can invoke premature attacks. Those attacks we’re getting right now… I’m afraid it’s just a small part of what he has in store.”

“How do you know all this?” Jongdae asks, both bewildered and horrified.

“A source,” Minseok answers with a small smile. “A secret one.”

“Do you know who the necromancer is as well?”

“If I had known this school would be safe already. Anyway, you know nymphs are quite lively beings, right? As in, anything that has energy is strength to them.”

“Yeah,” Jongdae answers with a frown. “What about it?”

“Think about it,” Minseok tells him, pointing at his head. “You’re half of a demon. A trained demon can extract the life out of something. Suck the life out of a flower, for example. You can use this to your advantage.”

“You mean… kill?”

“Well, that’s a bit far-fetched.” Minseok says with a laugh. “I mean, more like drain them until they have no power left. That sort of thing. Even a half-blood could learn something like that.”

“But how would I train that? The school would never approve, and I can’t possibly find a teacher with these strict rules.”

“I’ll ask around for you,” Minseok promises.

“I would appreciate that.”

They bid goodbye and Jongdae finally gets to the task of drying his hair. While he looks in the mirror, the conversation makes him remember the time his eyes glowed when it was in touch with the mark. He’s never been very in touch with his demon side, having it always deemed risky as everyone told him it could make him evil. Jongdae never believed it when he was younger because his father was a good man, but as the years went by and everyone around him said so, he started to believe it. Now he’s doubting it again. If his father didn’t turn evil and Jongdae only has half of that demon blood, how bad can it be?

Jongdae thinks about how much he could help this school if he was in touch with his demon side and is immediately convinced. Besides, suppressing a part of yourself is always a bad idea.

 ---

In the moment Kyungsoo wakes up, Baekhyun has just left. To be fair, Baekhyun has left the infirmary after the persistency of the nurse a few times, but right at this moment is just extremely poor timing. Prior to his exit, Baekhyun announced he was going to be doing a number two, to which Jongdae shooed him away with a grimace. Baekhyun then laughed, which was both a pleasant sight and sound.

Jongdae is now faced with forever pale Kyungsoo, who is blinking in confusion.

“Kyungsoo!” He yells out happily.

“What happen— _oh Jesus my back_.” Kyungsoo groans as he tries to sit up, helplessly falling back on the bed.

Jongdae’s face is struck with concern. “Should I call the nurse?”

“ _Please_ ,” Kyungsoo gasps.

The nurse is checking his vitals within minutes, persisting Kyungsoo to stay down in bed. Jongdae watches closely over his friend the entire time, feeling as if Kyungsoo will slip back into a deep sleep if he looks away.

“You’re being creepy,” Kyungsoo commentates after a while.

“I know,” Jongdae replies with a grin. “I’m just happy to see you awake.”

“How long was I out for?” Kyungsoo asks groggily.

“About two weeks,” Jongdae answers a little more grimly. Kyungsoo heaves a deep sigh at that. “Baekhyun totally freaked out.”

Kyungsoo stiffens at the mention of Baekhyun, which makes Jongdae smirk to himself.

“He cried at your bedside and didn’t leave it for twenty-four hours. Then the nurse insisted he had to take care of himself and now he only leaves when he needs to pee or eat.”

“What is he doing right now?”

“I just told you, he only leaves when he needs to pee or—wait _._ He’s actually pooping right now.” Jongdae tells him with a smirk.

“ _Pooping_? Christ, I really didn’t need to know that.”

Jongdae laughs. “You asked!”

Kyungsoo grumbles in defeat over that.

“He’s going to be so mad when he finds out I was there when you woke up and he wasn’t.” Jongdae shares with a wicked grin, whipping out his phone to text his friend. “I’m still amazed the force fields didn’t block the cellphone signal.”

“Well, they don’t block out nymphs either so I’m not surprised.”

Jongdae purses his lips at that. He puts his phone back after finishing his text and gives Kyungsoo a serious look. “What happened, Kyungsoo?” he asks softly, “When you were attacked.”

“I don’t know.” Kyungsoo shakes his head. “I just… I got separated from the group and then everything went black.”

“No pain?”

“Only now.”

Jongdae sighs in relief. “Thank god. I would’ve felt terrible if you went through the same thing as I did.”

“Is the attack still haunting you?” Kyungsoo asks after a silence, genuine worry in his eyes.

“Sometimes. It’s more that I fear that it’ll happen to you, or Baekhyun… or just any of us.” Kyungsoo gives him a sympathetic look. “Anyway, let me ask Baekhyun what the hell he’s doing. No one takes a shit for that long.”

Jongdae sends another urgent text to Baekhyun and tells Kyungsoo about his wish to be in touch with his demon side.

After a strangely long while, Baekhyun comes storming in. Jongdae and Kyungsoo were so engaged in their conversation they had totally forgotten about him. Baekhyun sprints towards his friend with the widest grin imaginable. Jongdae thinks he’s going for a suffocating hug, maybe some happiness sobbing, but Baekhyun surprises both of them by plopping a takeout box on Kyungsoo’s lap.

“I figured you would be hungry,” he elaborates with a cheeky grin. “Spaghetti Bolognese made by your best friend.”

Kyungsoo gives him an incredulous look before shaking his head. “You are so crazy,” he mutters, grabbing the fork to twirl some spaghetti. “But I am hungry.”

Baekhyun has a dangerous glint in his eyes, one that Jongdae only deciphers when Kyungsoo has already downed a bite.

“Really, Baekhyun?” Jongdae asks, sighing.

Kyungsoo drops the fork back in the box, furiously grabbing onto the comforter. “You fucker,” he hisses at Baekhyun, tears already beginning to form in his eyes.

Baekhyun shatters, his laughter blowing up the room. “I-is the garlic too sp-spicy?” Baekhyun asks, barely able to contain himself.

“I just woke up from a coma, asshole!” is the last thing Kyungsoo yells before his tongue swells up and becomes unable to speak.

Thankfully, Baekhyun didn’t put a lethal amount of garlic in the spaghetti this time, but it still made Kyungsoo and the nurse pretty angry. In a way, Jongdae is grateful for Baekhyun handling the situation like this because they were able to laugh about it afterwards – and it was a very Baekhyun thing to do. Plus, emotional reconciliations aren’t really their thing.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> well that was awful. I'm sorry my precious readers :C  
> the next chapters will be tons of fun i promise!!!!!!!!! i aint going to tell u why but theyll be GREAT!!!! (...........but i might if u comment since i cant keep things to myself when u guys seem as excited about the story as i am lol)  
> hope you guys are enjoying it despite the eh-ness of this chapter and if u did pls leave a comment<3


	7. VII/XVI

The force fields have greatly improved. Or the nymphs have just stopped attacking. Either way, Jongdae feels safer. The tension that hung over the school for the last couple of weeks has been lifted, mostly because it’s holiday season.

Christmas is only days away. Most holidays aren’t celebrated at Jeolban, but the school always puts a bit of their budget into the Christmas party. The party is held in the largest classroom, which will be decorated by the students. Food will be served as well, though it isn’t anything out of the ordinary. The party is mostly for dancing, but few like to exchange gifts. Baekhyun is one of those people. Unfortunately, his gifts are usually in the shape of a fake turd. The party always has a great atmosphere despite the teachers’ attendance, and no student would be stupid it enough to miss it.

“It sucks that we can’t buy gifts this year,” Baekhyun mumbles, pouting. The two of them are visiting Kyungsoo in the infirmary. Well, Jongdae is. Baekhyun doesn’t leave Kyungsoo’s side even though he’s healing well.

“Nobody wants your gifts,” Kyungsoo retorts sharply.

“I agree,” Jongdae chimes in, crossing his arms. “They always bring trouble.”

Baekhyun gasps. “How could you not like the goat harness, Jongdae? You _are_ a goat!”

“It’s not funny.” Jongdae wants to glare at his friend, but Baekhyun has that sly smile on his face and _okay,_ it’s a little funny.

“At least you didn’t get holy water,” Kyungsoo grumbles. “You _do_ know that’s just a myth, right? It was a waste of your money.”

Baekhyun shrugs. “The garlic thing turned out to be true, so why I figured it wouldn’t hurt to try.”

“And what if it turned out to be true? I could’ve died or burned myself.”

“You know I would never hurt you, Soo.” Baekhyun tells him, his tone suddenly serious. A blush creeps on Kyungsoo’s cheeks as he tries to look unaffected. Jongdae smirks at the sight. “Well,” Baekhyun continues, “not badly, at least. Messing with your garlic allergy is just a bit of fun.”

“Shut up,” Kyungsoo barks, slapping Baekhyun on the shoulder.

Baekhyun and Kyungsoo continue to bicker back and forth, much to the amusement of Jongdae. He’s waiting for Baekhyun to make a move, because God knows Kyungsoo won’t ever admit to liking such a nutcase. Eventually, the argument tires Kyungsoo out. The latter groans as he leans back on the bed.

“Are you okay?” Jongdae asks his friend, who is looking paler than usual. “Should I call the nurse?”

Kyungsoo shakes his head. “I’m fine,” he mutters weakly. “Just a bit tired.”

Baekhyun sends Jongdae a hopeless look from the side, but Jongdae ignores it.

“I thought you were getting better?”

“I am,” Kyungsoo answers, rubbing his eyes.

“You don’t look too good to me,” Jongdae tells him. “When are you going to be released again?”

“Just before Christmas…” Kyungsoo trails off, his eyes closing slowly. His body goes limp, which appears to raise alarm in Baekhyun.

“I’m calling the nurse,” he insists, jumping up from his spot.

Jongdae doesn’t feel too concerned about Kyungsoo. He’s still recovering, so it’s not surprising he’s easily drained. He’s about to call Baekhyun back for over-worrying, but then his eyes fall on the hand-shaped bruise on Kyungsoo’s upper arm. It’s quite strange – they should be healed by now, or at least shrunk. Jongdae purses his lips and decides to let Baekhyun call the nurse anyway.  

\---

The nurse lets Kyungsoo go back to his dorm earlier than expected. He has healed well, though some bruises still remain. The nurse explained that Kyungsoo’s immune system worked on the internal damage before getting to the bruises. It’s relieving for all of them. Baekhyun even cracks some jokes about it, but Jongdae isn’t blind to Baekhyun’s concern for their friend. When Kyungsoo looks away, Baekhyun’s eyes will linger on the bruises sticking out from his shirt. It always looks like as if he wants to do or say something, but Baekhyun isn’t one to express his feelings in that sort of way.

Right now, it is nighttime. Jongdae and Baekhyun are escorting Kyungsoo back to his dorm with special permission from the headmistress. She barely gave them a glance, just waving them away to get back to her paperwork. It was worrying to see her so distraught and busy, but Jongdae and Baekhyun were too happy with her decision to care.

As they pass through the dimly lit halls, Jongdae notices several distressed students and teachers. His gut feeling tells him something is very wrong. Trying not to play into it too much, Jongdae resumes listening to Baekhyun’s everlasting blabbering – right now the topic is his urge for raw eggs. Jongdae scrunches his nose at the thought of swallowing a raw egg whole. Kyungsoo is visibly disturbed by the imagery despite having seen it numerous times, but Baekhyun is completely unaffected. The latter groans in delight as he tells of the taste and smell.

Just as Baekhyun is about to go into detail, a teacher runs past, her heels clacking over the stone floors. Her breath is irregular and her eyes panicked. When she has passed them, the three students share a look. They don’t want to rush while Kyungsoo is still recovering, but the sheer urgency of the teacher who walked by left them with no choice.

Just before they exit through the west wing, a shrill scream is heard. A shiver courses through Jongdae’s body at the sound.

He quickly pushes the door open, only to be immediately hit with too many things at once: frosty wind, thick snow, fresh air, smoke, yelling personnel, terrified students – and _fire_. Jongdae feels himself going numb as flames tower over the nocturnal dorm, engulfing the building whole. Nothing registers in his mind for the next couple of minutes, not the wetness of the snow, not the heat of the flames, absolutely nothing but Kyungsoo’s hand clenching around his.

There is a dry silence between them. They all know saying something right now is useless, but to keep quiet is so strange too. After several minutes, Baekhyun is done with the silence. He drops the hand that rested on Kyungsoo’s upper arm, and sprints off to one the teachers close to the flames.

“Baekhyun, stop! It’s dangerous!” Kyungsoo immediately calls, shaken out of his frozen state. The moment he takes a single step to go after their friend, Jongdae pulls him back.

“Don’t put yourself in danger either,” Jongdae says firmly.

Kyungsoo’s thick brows are furrowed while his eyes keep darting to Baekhyun. His pointy teeth draw blood from his full bottom lip without him realizing it. Kyungsoo has never looked this distressed.

Jongdae can’t resist checking up on Baekhyun either. As he moves his eyes to their friend, he feels a rush of energy. It courses through his entire body, but settles in his legs. The energy now feels dark, heavy, and as if something is pulling him towards the fire. The urge overtakes him completely – his vision sways, his legs tremble, and his mind empties itself.

The sudden cease of bright orange lights in his blurred vision snaps him out of it. Once his eyes clear, Jongdae can see wizards surrounding the fire, sucking the energy out of the flames or conjuring up a water spell. The fire is stubborn. It relights itself time and time again, setting fire to anything it can catch. But it doesn’t last forever. Jongdae watches the flames becoming shorter, and eventually tiny.

Just as Jongdae wants to see the last of the fire die, Joonmyun stomps over to them while dragging Baekhyun by his arm. Kyungsoo immediately perks up. With a frown, however.

“All students are to keep away from the fire,” Joonmyun tells them after letting Baekhyun go.

“You are an _idiot_!” Kyungsoo barks, smacking Baekhyun on the shoulder.

“Sorry,” Baekhyun murmurs, giving Kyungsoo his best pout and puppy eyes.

“You may be immune to weather but not to fire! God, I can’t believe you can just put yourself in danger like that!”

“I didn’t put myself in danger! I just wanted to ask a teacher what happened,” Baekhyun argues.

“Being _that_ close to such a gigantic fire is putting yourself in danger!”

“Okay, guys. That’s enough,” Jongdae interjects firmly, stepping between his friends.

Kyungsoo scowls at Baekhyun while the latter angrily crosses his arms like a child.

Jongdae turns to Joonmyun, “What’s going to happen now?”

“The headmistress hasn’t said anything to me, but I think it’s safe to say we’ll be sharing our dorms soon.”

Kyungsoo’s face twists in shock. “My stuff… it’s all gone…”

Jongdae purses his lips. He hadn’t even thought about that.

“Oh, Soo. I’m sorry,” Jongdae whispers, pulling his friend into a hug.

“Did anyone get injured?” Baekhyun asks in the meantime, his worried eyes still on Kyungsoo.

“No deaths, thankfully. Only one student has minor burns,” Joonmyun informs. “She was just out of the dorm when the fire started.”

“When did it—” Baekhyun halts his words as the crowd drowns him out.

The four of them turn to the burned remnants of the dorm, eyeing the crowd that has now gathered around the debris. Jongdae suddenly feels a sharp pull again. Before he can register what’s happening, his mind is in a haze again. His legs pull him towards the remains, as if he’s no longer in control of his own body. There’s a vague _“where are you going?”_ in the background, presumably from Joonmyun, but Jongdae can’t do anything except close in on the burned wreckage. As the heat closes in and smoke fills his nose, Jongdae’s eyes pick up a dark red glow, one that is awfully familiar. It is the source of the pulling, but before Jongdae can step closer, a hand on his shoulder pulls him back.

“What are you _doing_?” Joonmyun squeaks, snapping Jongdae out of his trance. The latter is giving him a concerned look, and Jongdae sees the same expression on his friends’ faces in his peripheral vision.

Jongdae finds no words to speak, so he just points at the glow that took over his mind. For the first time Jongdae gets a look at it without blurred vision, and he isn’t surprised to find Demonic scripture amidst the ashes. The ashes are still glowing orange with heat, but the Demonic beats them in brightness. Everyone surrounding the scripture has a dark red hue to their faces – an awfully eerie sight.

“Demonic…” Joonmyun mutters in fascination, his brows furrowing.

“You read Demonic, right?” Kyungsoo asks.

“A little.”

“What does it say?”

Blood drains from Joonmyun as he concentrates on reading it, his lips thinning into a line. Jongdae has a gut feeling the message isn’t going to be anything kind, but he needs to hear it anyway. Fear creeps into his body as Joonmyun’s expression grows somber.

“It says…” Joonmyun begins softly, pausing to clear his throat. “It says _all of you will die_.”

Jongdae swallows. His eyes move to his friends’ automatically to read their reaction, and finds nothing but terror.

A fire swallowed a whole dorm. What else could possibly be waiting for them?

\---

“Dear students of Jeolban,” the headmistress opens, “I am torn over the current situation of the school, but I am happy to announce we will not cancel the Christmas party.”

Sighs of relief are heard all over the place. At least there’s one good thing happening in this cursed school, Jongdae thinks.

“Regarding the situation of the night dorm, we have made a list as to who will live where. The list is on the notice board in both the dorm and in front of the office. The curfews are still on. If you note anything suspicious, report it to the office immediately.”

She takes a deep breath, and Jongdae sees a sudden sadness in her eyes.

“The school has received numerous requests for students to be pulled out of Jeolban by both students and parents. Given our current situation, it is understandable that students or their parents no longer trust Jeolban. All requests are obviously granted, but we have a new safety protocol when handling these requests. More information on this is available at the office. Lastly, the Christmas party organizers are looking for more volunteers. You can register yourself with Hyoyeon at the office.” The headmistress gives a half-hearted smile. “Thank you.”

As she walks off, the crowd breaks out in murmuring. Jongdae bites his lip in worry. Things aren’t looking well for Jeolban.

\---

The Christmas party is great. Not only does it serve as a good distraction for Jeolban’s awful situation, the food is good and the atmosphere is warm. Jongdae has devoured an exact number of eleven cream puffs. They’re making him nauseous but he can’t stop. Eating cream puffs is already a rare occasion as it is, so he’s better off making the most of it. As he plops the twelfth into his mouth, Baekhyun comes in sight with a smirk. That can’t be anything good.

“You know how I said that I couldn’t prank anyone because I couldn’t go the supermarket in town?”

Jongdae puts his cream puff down, giving Baekhyun a serious look. “You got to be kidding me. I’ll tell Kyungsoo if you went into town, Baek.”

Fear flashes over Baekhyun’s face at that. “No, no! I didn’t go into town! I swear!”

Jongdae squints his eyes in suspicion. “Okay. Go on, then.”

“Well, I thought I was going to give Mrs. Yun a prank-less Christmas, but then I remembered the toilet roll trick! You know, making a turd out of it with water and all. I stole every last one I could find and completely covered Mrs. Yun’s desk with it! Man, she’ll have such a shocker.”

“Your pranks are making me sympathize with her, Baekhyun. How many more times are you going to put fake turds around her workspace?”

“Enough times so she’ll always think it’s fake. Then, one day, when she assumes it’s a fake turd, it’ll be a real one.”

Jongdae bursts out in laughter. He has to admit that’s a good one.

“You’ll get in so much trouble,” Jongdae commentates, another laughing fit finding its way out.

“I sincerely hope that it will be cat poop and not your own,” Kyungsoo chimes in out of nowhere. The two of them turn to see their friend crossing his arms and peering at Baekhyun in disappointment.

“We’ll see about that, Soo.” Baekhyun fills in with a grin.

Kyungsoo scrunches up his nose. “Gross.”

Laughter emits from both Jongdae and Baekhyun again, leaving them in an extremely good mood. Jongdae can easily say he hasn’t felt this happy in a while. Baekhyun can’t seem to stop his laughter, losing his breath while trying to steady himself. He makes the mistake of grabbing onto Kyungsoo’s bruised arm for support, causing the latter to cry out in pain. Baekhyun immediately yanks back his arm as if it touched fire, shocked that he hurt his friend.

“Goddammit that hurts!” Kyungsoo spits, sinking to the floor while holding his arm.

“Soo, I’m sorr—”

“What happened here?” Joonmyun asks after rushing to them, gasping at the sight of Kyungsoo on the floor. “Are you okay, Kyungsoo?”

Jongdae and Joonmyun help him up while Baekhyun watches in guilt.

“Soo, I didn’t mean to. I’m sorry,” Baekhyun mutters, grabbing his friend’s hand.

“It’s fine,” Kyungsoo replies with a groan. “Let’s just go to the infirmary to get some pain-relieving cream. The one in my room burned up after all.”

Baekhyun nods his head and takes Kyungsoo by his healthy arm, leading him out. Jongdae watches them get stopped by teachers several times before he turns his attention to Joonmyun, who is still watching Baekhyun and Kyungsoo in concern. Jongdae’s breath stocks in his throat when he finally gets a good look at Joonmyun. Instead of the usual slicked back hair, Joonmyun has his fringe covering his forehead. The gentle brown makes his hair look soft and fluffy, making Jongdae want to run his fingers through. Then there’s the over-sized beige sweater he’s drowning in. Normally Joonmyun is so prim and proper, but now he just looks _cute_.

Joonmyun finally tears his gaze off the pair and his eyes meet Jongdae’s. The second their eyes meet Jongdae feels his heart skip a beat. Cute Joonmyun is really affecting him badly. A small smile appears on Joonmyun’s lips and Jongdae swears his body heats up. He breathes deeply and mentally notes down _cute Joonmyun is dangerous_.

“I had something I wanted to talk about with you,” Joonmyun says, biting his lip. “Can we go somewhere people won’t hear?”

Jongdae nods, his mouth too dry to speak.

The two of them move to the hallway, passing several classrooms until they are completely out of earshot. Joonmyun is nervous the whole time, checking behind them to see if no one is following them while obsessively plucking at his fingers. Once they come to a still, Joonmyun takes a deep breath, really igniting the curiosity in Jongdae. What could possibly make him this nervous?

“Okay. First of all, you have to promise not to tell _anyone_ about this.”

Jongdae is taken aback by such a bold start of a conversation, but nods nonetheless.

“You promise?” Joonmyun asks, holding his pinky up.

I promise,” Jongdae answers. He tries to stop a smile as he takes the pinky into his own.

“If you tell anyone this, I’ll make the whole school think you went nuts. I swear.”

Jongdae holds his hands up in surrender. “Okay, okay! I won’t tell.”

“Good.” Joonmyun nods. “Well, to begin, Minseok told me you wanted to get in touch with your demon side. I might know someone who can help you.”

“Really?” Jongdae chirps in delight, eyes beginning to sparkle.

Joonmyun hands him a folded piece of paper. “This is where he lives. But you _didn’t_ get this from me! I didn’t push you to do anything that would break the rules.”

Jongdae grins, finally understanding Joonmyun’s weird behavior. Of course Joonmyun would be like this. He is a goody two-shoes after all – and on top of that he is the one checking whether the students follow the rules.

“Wow, Joonmyun… this is great. I really appreciate this,” Jongdae tells him sincerely. His thoughts suddenly remember Kyungsoo, who is still injured. He then thinks of Minseok telling him about the attack Luhan has planned. Pursing his lips, Jongdae decides he can never let that happen to anyone in this school. “I’m going.”

Joonmyun’s eyes widen. “Right now?” He asks in disbelief.

“I could actually help this school if my only power wasn’t shapeshifting into a goat,” Jongdae supplies.

“Well… okay. As long as you know what you’re doing.”

Jongdae raises his eyebrows. “Aren’t you coming as well?”

“Wh-why would I? That’s against the rules!” Joonmyun splutters.

“You want to help the school too, right? If this person can help me with my demon powers he’s sure to help you with your magic as well. Imagine what we could do if you, me, Baekhyun, Kyungsoo, and maybe even Minseok got help with our powers! It will help us a lot more than doing math homework and studying magic history.”

“I don’t know… I really don’t like the idea of breaking the rules.”

“It’ll just be one time! And it’s for the greater good!”

Jongdae’s persuasion skills prove to be good as Joonmyun reluctantly nods his head. “Okay. I will go with you. But this is one time and one time only!”

Jongdae grins in delight. Without thinking it through, he grabs Joonmyun by the hand and pulls him along. The touch of their hands tingles in a most pleasant way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> my dear readers!!!! I am really sorry for this late update :C there was just a lot of stuff going on all of sudden and I couldnt find the motivation to write :/  
> anyway, i hope you enjoyed this chapter!!!!!!!! I got a lot of comments last chapter and i felt so happy!!!!! you guys are too good to me :'(  
> this is also off topic but... you guys... my country is getting a frost period... i already slipped 5 times on the one day we had frost... how will i survive... if i never write another chapter again you can go ahead and assume ive broken every bone in my body LOL


	8. VIII/XVI

“I can’t believe you got Joonmyun to come along,” Baekhyun tells Jongdae in disbelief. Both of them are packing their bags. Baekhyun immediately agreed to coming along as soon as the words left Jongdae’s mouth, but was left baffled when he heard Joonmyun came along.

“Then I’ll have another surprise for you,” Jongdae replies with a grin. “He’s the one who came up with the idea.”

Baekhyun halts halfway through folding his underwear. “No way. You’re lying,” he accuses, squinting his eyes at Jongdae.

“He actually told me not to tell anyone it was him, but I doubt that matters now that he’s coming along.”

“How did you convince him to come? Did you use your demon powers to manipulate his mind or something?”

“I’m not on that level yet,” Jongdae says pointedly before he chuckles. “But he was surprisingly easy to convince. I didn’t even do anything special, I just told him it would be one time and that it would help the school. Seems to me he just cares about Jeolban as much as we do.”

Baekhyun purses his lips before continuing to pack. “Well, as long as he won’t be annoying I don’t mind if he comes along.”

“I’m sure he’ll be a lot more reasonable outside school. Kyungsoo told me he’s really nice in their room.”

Baekhyun hums disapprovingly. After the fire in the night dorm the students moved into the day dorm. Baekhyun _really_ wanted Kyungsoo to come live in their room, but both Kyungsoo and the teachers refused, saying it would only be trouble. Instead, they assigned Kyungsoo to Joonmyun and Minseok’s room, where he is more than content. Baekhyun is obviously still bitter about it.

“You’re becoming as biased as Kyungsoo just because Joonmyun was nice to you once,” Baekhyun grumbles.

“Not true. And it wasn’t once. He’s been nice all the time lately.”

“That makes it sound like you’re in love with him,” Baekhyun comments dryly before breaking out in laughter.

Jongdae, instead of laughing along, freezes. Joonmyun’s pretty face pops up in his head, his dazzling smile, his engaging eyes. Jongdae feels blood rush to his cheeks at the general thought of Joonmyun. Noticing Baekhyun’s pointed stare snaps Jongdae out of his trance. He continues packing, not thinking of Joonmyun _at all_.

“You’re crazy,” Jongdae mutters to save himself.

After the two of them finish packing, they leave their room as quietly as possible, not wanting to pull any attention.

If everything went according to plan, the teacher by the front door is in a deep sleep courtesy of Joonmyun’s potions. Joonmyun first flat-out refused to “poison” a teacher, but enough pressing from Jongdae got him to do it. Baekhyun even offered to handle the rest of the plan after Joonmyun made the potion – slip it into a mug of coffee and hand it over to whatever teacher is running the early morning shift. Joonmyun then told him the teacher wouldn’t trust him and decided to do it himself.

The potion only works for ten minutes, so Jongdae and Baekhyun have to make it quick. They originally wanted to make it last longer, but it would put the dorms in danger thus they settled on ten minutes instead.

Baekhyun slowly pushes the front door open. Jongdae peeks where he can, relieved to see the teacher slumped in the snow. Cautiously, they tread outside. Jongdae cringes when thick snowflakes and an icy wind whip him in the face. At least he’s packed up well. Baekhyun, on the other hand, is wearing his regular shirt-and-shorts combo, only slightly irritated by the white flakes. Jongdae curses his cold blood for the nth time and carries on.

As they move to the back of the building, Jongdae’s eyes manage to spot a weak orange light coming from the trees. That ought to be Joonmyun. Jongdae trudges towards the light with a nasty scowl, bitter about the awful weather. How will they ever get a proper move on with this wind?

Jongdae and Baekhyun enter the small clearing cautiously, but that tension drops as soon as they see three familiar faces.

“You’re here too, Minseok?” Jongdae immediately asks, surprised to find him here.

Minseok shrugs. “Joonmyun told me to cover for him but I wasn’t having it. Besides, I’m not one to slap away an opportunity to improve my powers.”

“You’re more than welcome,” Kyungsoo chimes in. “God knows I need at least one calm person around.”

“I’m calm!” Jongdae protests.

“Really? Because you just shouted that.”

Jongdae bursts out in laughter. “Okay, okay.”

“We should get out of here before the sun rises,” Joonmyun suggests, shifting between his feet. The wizard seems nervous – his hands keep playing with the strings on his backpack, his eyes keep darting back to the school, and he bites his lip in worry.

“Don’t worry,” Baekhyun cheers, patting Joonmyun on the back. “It’ll be fine. The sun rises in like half an hour. I’m sure we’ll be out of here by then.”

“I still think we should leave. Right now.”

“I agree,” Kyungsoo affirms. “That light is going to attract people.”

The five of them proceed to leave the clearing, moving further into the woods.

 ---

“The sun… I can’t take it anymore…” Kyungsoo gasps, falling to his knees.

“Stop whining and apply more sunscreen!” Baekhyun barks.

The sun is not gentle on a vampire. Not even on a half-vampire. Kyungsoo got sunburn the moment the sun rose. The rest of the group was concerned at first, but as Kyungsoo needed to stop every fifteen minutes it got old fast.

“We’re never going to get there at this rate!” Baekhyun cries out, stomping his foot in the snow.

“Let’s just take a few moments to rest,” Minseok proposes calmly. “Maybe I can enchant him with a protective spell or something.”

“That would be great,” Joonmyun commentates, shooting a concerned glance at Kyungsoo.

They settle down in the thick snow, long past caring about wet feet and wet butts. Jongdae plops down next to Joonmyun and watches Kyungsoo in worry. Despite having seen Kyungsoo in pain for the past hours, it doesn’t get any less easy to watch. This time Baekhyun is by Kyungsoo’s side, helping him apply the cream as Minseok fumbles through a spell book.

“How much further is it actually?” Jongdae asks Joonmyun, who is readjusting his hat and gloves. The latter looks cute all puffed up in an oversized winter coat.

“We’ll get there in the evening,” Joonmyun answers with a small smile. His tone is high. Jongdae suspects he might still be nervous about leaving the school behind.

Not entirely sure if he can ask, Jongdae settles for enjoying the view in the clearing. Before this, they walked through the thick pine forest, but eventually met the path they were supposed to take. Once the sun started shining the beauty of their surroundings became visible: the sight of a white blanket on pine trees was a sight to see. And it wasn’t just sight that stuck with them – smell too. The morning dew along with the smell of pine made for a memorable scent.

“Are you still worried about breaking the rules?” Jongdae then asks, catching Joonmyun off guard.

Joonmyun’s eyes widen before he gazes down, drawing figures in the snow with his shoes. “Yes,” he admits softly.

“They’ll understand.”

“For you, maybe. For me? Definitely not. I’m supposed to be a role model.”

“I guess so.” Jongdae notices the remaining frown on Joonmyun’s forehead. A chuckle escapes his lips. Joonmyun looks over at him in surprise, to which Jongdae replies with a poke to his frown. “Stop worrying or I’m leaving and then you’ll have to brood on your own.”

Joonmyun blushes at that, the frown disappearing. “Okay.”

“Good,” Jongdae approves, grinning. “Tell me more about the wizard we’re visiting. I wasn’t listening when you told me before.”

Joonmyun rolls his eyes. “I figured you weren’t. You’re always more absent whenever Kyungsoo or Baekhyun is around.” Jongdae laughs at that, knowing how well it’s true. “But this wizard… he’s… he’s not really normal.”

“I’m half a goat, I’m pretty sure I can handle weird.”

“Not like that,” Joonmyun tells him. “And being half a goat isn’t weird either, Jongdae. What I’m talking about is just hard to describe. You’ll know what I mean when we meet him.”

“How do you know him? He doesn’t sound like your kind of crowd.”

Joonmyun scratches behind his head. “Well… he’s the son of my mother’s ex. We lived together for a while until he moved to his current place.”

“You’re half-brothers?” Jongdae asks in disbelief. “Wait, your parents are divorced?”

“No, he’s not my half-brother,” Joonmyun answers, a little overwhelmed with the questions. “My parents got divorced a long time ago. His dad was my mother’s boyfriend for a while so that’s how I got to know him.”  

“And he’s a super powerful wizard?”

“Yeah, he is.” Joonmyun looks a little sad after answering, his lips pursed.

Jongdae feels a sharp pain in his chest at the sight. “What’s wrong?” He asks in concern.

“Oh, it’s nothing. It’s just… I entered puberty when he came to live with us and seeing him do all these amazing things while not being to do anything myself awakened some insecurities in me. After all these years I still have them. I can barely create light beams let alone do anything useful with my magic. When you came back that one night from the supermarket all beat up I felt so useless.”

Jongdae frowns. “But we didn’t even know each other that well back then.”

“I still felt awful. Minseok was able to help you and I wasn’t. He’s a lot more useful than me.” Joonmyun mumbles the last part, but Jongdae clearly hears it. Jongdae gazes over to Minseok, who is chanting a spell from his book, orange light shining from his fingers. 

“Minseok is very powerful for a half-blood,” Jongdae observes. “Is he making you feel the same as the wizard? Insecure?”

Joonmyun stills at that. After a while, he nods meekly. “He’s my friend and I treasure him a lot… but he learns so fast and does things I wouldn’t even be able to do if I dedicated my life to it.”

“That must be frustrating,” Jongdae commentates.

“Sometimes. I try not to let it get to me and focus on the things I _can_ do instead of what I can’t.”

“It’s kind of strange. I’ve never paid much attention to my powers until I entered Jeolban. And even after that I ignored my demon side for a long time.”

“Did your father not encourage you to pay attention to that part of you?” Joonmyun asks, all traces of sadness replaced by curiosity.

“Well, both my parents knew I wasn’t very gifted when it came to powers. That’s why they didn’t bother to train me. I don’t really mind, though. I knew my shapeshifting was a lost case to begin with and that my demon powers were something too strong for me to possibly control at that age so I’m not really upset about it. That aside, now that I _can_ train my demon powers, I’m rather excited about it.”

“I’m sure Yixing will teach well.”

“Yixing? Is that his name?” Jongdae asks.

Joonmyun nods, but before he can open his mouth to elaborate, Baekhyun cuts through.

“We’re going to have lunch!” He announces.

“Did the enchantment work?” Jongdae questions as he sees Kyungsoo looking weak.

“Yeah,” Kyungsoo rasps. “I’m still going to eat in the shade, though. Somewhere under a tree or in a cave. The less I’m in the sun the better.”

“We shouldn’t stray off the path,” Joonmyun tells him. “It’s only going to get us in trouble. None of us know this forest well.”

“It’s just for lunch,” Baekhyun protests. “We won’t stay away for too long.”

Jongdae wants to protest again, but Kyungsoo and Baekhyun are gone in a flash, leaving him sighing. He finally understands what Joonmyun felt like when he was dealing with Baekhyun. Joonmyun gives him a sympathetic pat on the back.

The three of them are then enveloped in an awkward silence as they watch the direction Baekhyun and Kyungsoo disappeared to. Eventually, Minseok sighs and turns their way, an unamused look on his face.

“Should I go after them?” Minseok asks.

“It would be appreciated,” Jongdae replies, nodding.

Minseok follows Baekhyun and Kyungsoo’s trail, his dark-dressed figure remaining visible for quite some time in the obscenely white forest. The earlier silence returns, but this time it’s a little less awkward as the Jongdae and Joonmyun busy themselves with unpacking their lunch. Jongdae went with cheese crackers while Joonmyun brought an entire lunchbox filled with nutritious snacks.

“That looks good,” Jongdae commentates, his mouth watering at the sight.

“Cheese crackers? Really?” Joonmyun retorts with a raised eyebrow. “I knew you and Baekhyun were alike but I’d really expect you to at least feed yourself better.”

Jongdae cackles with laughter. “Baekhyun’s actually pretty culinary. I’m the one who can’t cook to save my life.”

“You can’t even make yourself a proper lunch?”

Before Jongdae can answer, Joonmyun snatches the box of cheese crackers out of his hands and chucks it back into Jongdae’s bag. Joonmyun then scoots closer to Jongdae and forks an egg roll, bringing it up to Jongdae’s lips. Like a machine, Jongdae opens his mouth. Once the now empty fork glides out of his mouth, a grin appears on Joonmyun’s face, which makes Jongdae combust instantly; skin heating up, brain turning to mush, and heart hammering in his chest. While his body is completely raging on the inside, his outside is utterly calm and composed. He opens his mouth when he needs to and chews when he needs to, but other than that he doesn’t waste any energy.

“Do you like the egg rolls? Minseok gave me a good herb to season them.”

“Y-yes,” Jongdae mutters, trying his best not too sound nervous.

“I also made dumplings. Not very healthy but they’re my favorite. Want to try one?”

The sparkling look on Joonmyun’s face has Jongdae nodding robotically.

“You should really know how to cook, Jongdae. You can’t survive on instant noodles and cheese crackers forever.” Normally, this would’ve sounded like the nagging Joonmyun who patrols the halls and disapproves of everything Jongdae does, but now he just sounds bemusing if not a little concerned. Jongdae feels a bit of warmth flooding his stomach and he can’t resist smiling.

“I know,” he answers softly, making Joonmyun look up from his lunchbox.

A small smile pulls on Joonmyun’s lips, a shy one. Blush follows, painting his cheeks a pretty pink, giving Joonmyun that dangerously adorable look. For a short while, only mere seconds, they do nothing but stare into each other’s eyes. Jongdae feels his body go aflame in those milliseconds. The emotional strength of these feelings scare him a little. With all the power he can manage, he averts his eyes, feeling his cheeks heat up in embarrassment. What was he doing staring at Joonmyun like that? It’s not like he’s in love with—

“Jongdae! Jongdae, help!” Kyungsoo comes stumbling out of the bushes, falling to his knees in the snow. His face is drained and outs sheer terror, causing all of Jongdae’s hairs to rise.

“What’s going on?” He asks urgently.

“Baekhyun! He’s—he’s _gone_!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys!!! hope you liked this update!!! I didn't get a lot of comments on the last so I figured that one wasnt that good so i give you LOTS of suchen in return lol (it wasnt supposed to be this much suchen but my hand slipped)  
> anyway, thanks for reading/kudos & especially commenting!!! kisses to u my dear readers<3
> 
>  
> 
> ps: next chapter is going to be aaaaaaaaalll about baeksoo but dont tell anyone that ;)


	9. IX/XVI

A sweet, alluring scent enters Baekhyun’s nose. The instinct to reach out to it is immediate. He wants to lift an arm, get on his legs, try _anything_ to get closer to the scent, but his body doesn’t comply. He lies stuck in the powdery texture of snow, unable to move any part of his body. His eyes refuse to open at his command, the sense rendered completely useless.

His ears, however, work completely fine. Once Baekhyun gets past the realization he cannot move or see, his ears take over. The first thing his hearing focuses on is a nearby brook. The water moves fast, giving the information that it is lively. He hears birds, a soft wind, and the occasionally snapping branch. For a while it stays that way, no distinct sounds that one wouldn’t hear in a forest.

But just as Baekhyun tries to remember how he ended up paralyzed somewhere by a brook, he hears a voice.

“If you ever disobey orders from Luhan again I’ll send you down to hell along with those half-bloods!” A stern voice seethes.

“But he was inches away! How could I not—”

The snow crunches with footsteps, and a gurgle comes from the second voice.

“Listen to me,” the first voice says, authority in the tone. “It was too early. Too soon. We wait for a little more. During that time, you will _not_ try to kidnap any of those kids. Is that clear?”

 “Y-yes.”

The spluttering of those words is the last thing Baekhyun hears before he slips back into unconsciousness.

\---

Water hitting him in the face is what wakes him up again. It’s not so much the coldness of the liquid that wakes him so brutally, given that he doesn’t feel it as a creature of cold blood, but more the surprise. This time he _can_ move his limbs, which is more than welcome. His eyes react to his will as well, vision focusing on three figures up close.

“Hey, you okay?” A deep voice asks. Baekhyun’s eyes follow the sound and there is an extremely pale man with fangs protruding over his bottom lip staring down at him.

“Wow, look at his eyes! They’re crazy yellow!” A second voice comments.

“Shut up, Zitao!”

Baekhyun now sets his eyes on the other two figures. The first thing he notices is the owner of the second voice being topless. This Zitao has his bottom half dunked in the creek, resting his upper body on the snowy bank. Then his eyes move to the third figure, who is in the same position as Zitao: lower body in the water, upper body exposed.

“Can you tell me your name?” The pale man with the deep voice asks.

“B-Baekhyun,” he stutters out, eyes darting between the three.

“I’m Kris,” the pale man introduces, “that’s Zitao and Sehun.”

“What happened?”

“Well, we found you like this on the bank. No idea what happened to you or that guy,” Zitao explains, his finger pointing behind Baekhyun.

Baekhyun turns over, but he didn’t expect to see a nymph corpse lying only one meter away from him. He jerks back in shock at the dead look in the nymph’s eyes, the usual enchanting aura and attractive visual completely drained of life. His breath catches in his throat at the sight of a dead body. He’s never seen one before.

“D-did you kill him?” Baekhyun gasps, fear prickling his skin.

“What? Of course not! We found both you like this,” Sehun answers, crossing his arms over his pale chest.

“Let’s get you fixed up,” Kris suddenly says, getting up and stretching out a hand. Baekhyun gapes at his tallness but takes the hand anyway.

“Don’t get too friendly with him!” Zitao commentates, which Kris waves away.

“Don’t be so jealous, Zitao. I’m just helping.”

Zitao grumbles something incomprehensible which just makes Sehun sigh. Baekhyun, frowning in confusion, is pulled to his feet by Kris’ strength.

“My cabin is not far from here,” Kris tells him. “It’s somewhere along this stream.”

Now that Baekhyun has calmed down from the initial shock of being somewhere unknown, meeting three new people and a dead body, he grows conscious on the wounds Kris desired to fix. His neck throbs eerily, there’s scratches along his arms and a deep, bleeding claw mark along his thigh. Feeling like a fool for not being able to remember what happened, Baekhyun focuses on the steady sounds in the water.

Zitao and Sehun have not come out of the water, and now Baekhyun sees why. They’re mermaids. Baekhyun is awestruck, seeing one for the first time. He knew they existed, but was always told they were shy creatures who preferred sticking to their own kind.

Sehun notices his awed staring and smirks. “Never seen a mermaid before?”

Baekhyun blushes and shakes his head. “I thought they lived at sea only. Secluded at that.”

“We were born in sweet water so we can’t live at sea,” Zitao explains.

“What about you?” Baekhyun asks Kris. “You must be a vampire.”

“Correct,” Kris affirms.

“How are you out in the sun? Aren’t you supposed to be dust by now?”

Kris gives him a blank stare at the blatant question before sighing. “I believe such fantasies only count for Dracula. It’s true that the sun drains my power, but I’m by no means weak in sunlight.”

“That’s strange. My friend who is a half-blood vampire gets a sunburn— _Kyungsoo_ ,” Baekhyun suddenly gasps, remembering his friend who is probably worried sick looking for him. “Oh no, he’s going to kill me!”

Kris’ hand lands on his shoulder. “Please calm down, Baekhyun. Let’s not get too—”

“You get that hand off him!” Zitao screeches from the river.

Sehun cups his ear in pain. “Ow! Don’t scream so loud!”

In a matter of seconds, the company of four turns chaotic. Baekhyun panics about Kyungsoo, Kris tries to calm him down, Zitao is beyond pissed off, and Sehun is moaning in pain.

The chaos calms down when they arrive at Kris’ cabin. It’s a small wooden cabin with plenty of decoration inside. Baekhyun seats himself inside as Kris goes back out to carry Sehun and Tao in. When Kris returns with Zitao in his arms and sets him on the bed, Baekhyun’s mouth falls open at the sapphire-scaled fishtail, having never seen anything like it. When the tail moves, little tints of emerald show themselves. Baekhyun is so enamored with the sight that he instinctively reaches out to touch it. Zitao doesn’t react to their contact, but does send him a blank glance.

“Are you some kind of lizard?” Zitao then asks, just as Kris comes in with Sehun. Sehun’s tail is pink and white in color, even more eye-catching than Zitao’s.

“I’m half of a lamia,” Baekhyun explains.

Zitao then sends a questioning look to Kris, who immediately explains. “A lamia is a human with the lower body of a snake.”

“A snake…” Zitao mutters in fascination.

“My friends say I’ve got the personality of one too,” Baekhyun remarks with a grin.

“Where are your friends, if I may ask? You didn’t come here alone, did you?”

Baekhyun’s expression becomes somber. “I… I don’t know. I don’t even know how I ended up here. I was unpacking my lunch with Kyungsoo and Minseok. Next thing I know everything turns black.”

Kris frowns as he grabs a medical kit from a shelf. “Why are you in these parts to begin with? The weather is the worst and there’s virtually nothing.”

“We were going to visit this wizard named Yixing. He’s going to help us improve our powers.” The three raise an eyebrow at that. “You see, we’re from this school named Jeolban. You might have heard of it – it’s a school for half-bloods only. Jeolban is in danger and we want to help, but since all of our power is either weak or useless, we decided to pay Yixing a visit. He’s a powerful wizard who will help us for sure.”

“That must be that nymph uprising I’ve heard about,” Sehun mutters, frowning to himself.

Baekhyun smiles bitterly.

“I sincerely hope nothing bad happened to your friends,” Kris says, sending Baekhyun a sympathetic look. “Nymphs tend to cross the line way too far.”

“Yeah, I know that.”

\---

When the sun has gone into hiding and the moon rises, knuckles rap against the cabin door. Zitao, who had been sleeping alongside Sehun, jerks up in shock, obviously feeling more on edge outside the water. Kris sends the blanket-wrapped Baekhyun a reassuring look before opening the door slightly. A goat stands by the door, which confuses everyone but Baekhyun, who jumps from his seat in delight.

“Jongdae!” Baekhyun calls happily before tumbling outside with the goat in his arms. The goat immediately clambers away from him to bleat loudly. Kyungsoo, Joonmyun, and Minseok come forward from the bushes, relief in their expression and posture. Jongdae collects his clothes from the ground before hiding behind a tree to transform back and dress himself. Meanwhile, Baekhyun gets a pat on the shoulder from Minseok and a genuine smile from Joonmyun. Before he can look over to Kyungsoo and receive whatever punishment he’s thought of in the meantime, Jongdae comes running back out, tackling Baekhyun into a hug.

“We were so fucking worried!” Jongdae tells him, embracing tightly.

“Tell me about it! I woke up alone in the snow! Well, there was a vampire and two mermaids—wait! How did you guys even find me?” Baekhyun asks in bewilderment.

“Turns out Minseok has this little perk called presence sensing,” Jongdae explains. “He can sense whenever someone is near. That’s how they always found us doing stuff we weren’t supposed to back in Jeolban.”

Minseok smiles giddily, “Sorry.”

“It’s fine. At least I know now and at least we’re reunited again.”

Jongdae grins, “I’m so relieved, you have no idea.”

“I did get hurt but this vampire and his two mermaids found me! They patched me up. Let me call them!” Baekhyun skips a few meters back to the cabin, poking his head inside. “It’s my friends! You can come out.”

Zitao reached his hands out to Kris, “Carry me back to the water.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

Moments later, a campfire is made. Kris set up a tent so they could spend the night close to the cabin and reach Yixing first thing tomorrow. All this time, Baekhyun hasn’t looked at Kyungsoo once, and Kyungsoo hasn’t even tried to approach him. Now that they’re all surrounding the fire, Baekhyun can feel Kyungsoo’s gaze on him.

“Excuse me,” Kyungsoo suddenly says, his tone stern. “Baekhyun and I need to collect some more firewood.”

An awkward silence falls, but Kyungsoo pays no mind to it. He jerks Baekhyun out of his seat and drags him to the back of the cabin with a painful grip on his wrist. When the voices in the background pick up again, leaving no eavesdroppers, Kyungsoo gazes at Baekhyun. The look holds no anger, only relief in sadness. Baekhyun feels his heart begin to beat faster at the intensity of the stare, but he doesn’t act on it. But Kyungsoo does.

He pulls Baekhyun into his arms, embracing him tightly.

“I was so _so_ worried,” Kyungsoo whispers in Baekhyun’s ear, making him shiver. “When you just disappeared I—”

“I’m here,” Baekhyun replies softly, nuzzling into Kyungsoo’s neck.

“Don’t ever disappear on me again, asshole.”

Baekhyun smiles.

“I won’t.”

\---

The fire goes out eventually and the group decides to go to bed. Zitao, Sehun, and Kris sleep in the cabin while the Jeolban students sleep in the narrow tent, huddled in blankets and sleeping bags. Baekhyun, however, is still quite overwhelmed by today’s situation and chooses to sit outside for a while longer, just out of the tent’s sight. Jongdae is right next to him, holding Joonmyun’s thermal can filled with tea.

“I hate your cold blood,” Jongdae grumbles, slurping from the can. “It’s unfair.”

Baekhyun chuckles. “That’s gotta be the millionth time you said that. You can just change into a goat if you’re that cold, you know. I may not experience heat or cold myself, but even I know a goat pelt is warmer than a human body.”

“Who’s going to carry all my stuff? None of you, that’s what I know.”

Baekhyun laughs at that, because it’s more than true. “Well, maybe you can ask Joonmyun. He seems to like you well enough now.”

A blush rises to Jongdae’s cheeks, one not from the cold, and Baekhyun smirks. “Shut up,” Jongdae mutters, embarrassed. “Say one more thing about him and me and I’m going to sleep. You’ll have to sit alone in the snow.”

“Fine, fine. I won’t say anything.”

“Good.”

“So why did it take you so long to find me? If Minseok has this… ‘presence sensing’ he should have found my trail real fast, no?”

“The thing is, when you disappeared, he went after you while Kyungsoo came back to tell us what happened. He was gone for several hours before he finally came back. Then we had to walk here, which is totally off path, so it’s no surprise it took an entire day.”

“I guess so. You know, something really… scary happened,” Baekhyun begins, immediately pricking Jongdae’s interest. “When I woke up… there was a corpse beside me. A nymph corpse.”

Jongdae’s expression suddenly turns serious. “Was that your attacker?”

“I don’t know for sure, but I think it’s safe to say so.”

Jongdae sighs. “This is why I didn’t want you off the path. Look what happened!”

A smirk plasters itself onto Baekhyun’s lips. “Yeah, _right_. It was totally an excuse to be alone with Joonmyun.”

“Okay, that’s it. I’m leaving,” Jongdae announces, getting up from the folding chair. “Goodnight, Baekhyun.”

“Aw, don’t be such a party pooper!”

“ _Goodnight_ , Baekhyun.” Jongdae repeats before taking his leave.

Baekhyun is left in laughter as Jongdae grumbles all the way back to the tent. As Baekhyun’s laughter dies down, the ambience becomes prominent – the soft howl of the wind, the shuffling of blankets in the tent, and the everlasting trickle of water. For a while, Baekhyun enjoys the sounds while staring up at the starry sky. Because he’s so focused on the sounds, he immediately hears it when there’s footsteps heading in his direction.

Baekhyun turns his head to find Kyungsoo standing a few meters behind, a thick blanket around his shoulders.

“Hey,” Kyungsoo greets softly.

“Weren’t you asleep?”

“How can I possibly sleep while Joonmyun is snoring like that?”

Baekhyun laughs at the thought of Joonmyun snoring, immediately imagining drool and an ugly face to go along with it. A small smile plays on Kyungsoo’s lips, but soon after he shivers, pulling the blanket tighter around himself. Baekhyun gets up from his seat in worry, plucking the hat off his head before setting it atop Kyungsoo’s head.

“Don’t catch a cold,” Baekhyun whispers, pulling the hat down over Kyungsoo’s ears.

“Are you sure you won’t catch one yourself?”

“It’s my only privilege,” Baekhyun replies with a grin.

Kyungsoo purses his plump lips at that, causing an unwanted turmoil inside Baekhyun body.

“You should smile a little more now that I’m safe,” Baekhyun tells him.

Kyungsoo glares in response. “No way. I’m still mad at you.”

“Mad? Why? What did I do?

“First of all, you disappeared on me. Second, you made me worry my ass off for several hours. Third, I want to kiss you and I don’t have the courage to.”

Baekhyun jerks in shock at the sudden confession, staring at Kyungsoo in disbelief. Kyungsoo’s cheeks are bright red, his expression shy yet determined. After a moment of hesitation, Baekhyun lies a hand in Kyungsoo’s neck and moves closer. His heart is beating erratically in his chest as Kyungsoo gazes at him with those big brown eyes of his. Baekhyun feels as if he’ll explode if he watches Kyungsoo’s pretty face for once more second – the urge to kiss him is too great.

When Kyungsoo closes his eyes, Baekhyun takes it as a green light. He closes in on Kyungsoo’s delectable pink lips, slowly connecting their lips. Baekhyun feels his lips tingle in pleasure, already knowing he could never get enough of Kyungsoo’s lips. Two hands come up to tangle in his hair, only doubling the experience. Kyungsoo’s lips are a little slice of heaven, soft and plush. They make Baekhyun feel something he could never imagine – so far away from everything, nothing on his mind apart from the feeling of Kyungsoo’s sweet lips.

Once they part, Kyungsoo’s embarrassed expression is so adorable that Baekhyun can’t help but steal another quick kiss. Kyungsoo slaps him on the shoulder after, but there’s a small smile on his face.

“I’m in love with you,” Baekhyun whispers as he works himself into Kyungsoo’s blanket ring.

“You’re a dumbass,” Kyungsoo replies, “but I’m in love with you too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i didnt lie when i said this chap was going to be all about baeksoo!!! felt like we needed that closure, no???  
> btw did yall see that baeksoo forehead kiss? i was SHOOK!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (/prays the gif works LOL (if it dont tell me))  
>   
> /weeps in joy
> 
> anyway, thank you for reading, leaving kudos, and especially commenting!! you guys mean a lot to me!!!  
> kisses!!!!


	10. X/XVI

The closer they get to Yixing’s cabin, the harder it snows. _Of course_ the wizard has to live somewhere atop a mountain instead of somewhere easily accessible. Jongdae groans in anger for the nth time, desperately wanting to change into a goat and _not_ feel the cold. Despite layering himself up, Jongdae feels the icy wind slip right through his clothes. His face is numb because of the snowflakes that keep hitting it and his shins are halfway buried in the snow. His gaze drifts over to Kyungsoo, who keeps falling over. This heavy snow is hard on all of them – even Baekhyun; the latter has a hard time trudging through the thick snow despite not feeling any coldness.

Thankfully, Joonmyun is close to him. Just his presence nearby is soothing. Jongdae can’t really explain it, but every time Joonmyun reassures him that they’re close with a smile or laughs at him when he falls, Jongdae doesn’t feel so bad about the circumstances anymore. It’s like the snow is no longer falling and the wind is no longer howling and the path is cleared. Everything becomes easier when Joonmyun is close.

“How much further is it?” Baekhyun whines.

“We’re almost there!” Joonmyun answers over his shoulder.

“You keep saying that!”

“That’s because we _are_ almost there!”

“How do you know? All I see is snow and pine trees!” Baekhyun sticks an arm out towards the surrounding pine trees to emphasize his point, leaving Joonmyun at loss for words.

“I-I just know!” he splutters, face red.

“I swear to God, if you got us lost—”

“Is that the house we’re looking for?” Minseok suddenly pipes up. Four pairs of eyes follow his finger, which points to a fairly large cabin almost entirely veiled by snow. The camouflage is broken by two windows, which are devoid of snow and emit a faint warm light. The cabin is about fifty meters in the distance – a small length now that they’ve walked this far. A sudden burst of energy surges through Jongdae. They’re so close! Only a small distance away from rest, warmth, and food. He stumbles towards the little cabin in clumsy steps, snow catching him up to the knee. The others follow right behind, also eager to seek out the end of their journey.

As they are about ten meters removed from the cabin, the door flies open. The snow falls off, creating another dent in the camouflage. The man who stands in the doorway doesn’t appear to care, though. His face is laced with shock, the expression directed towards all of them.

“Come inside!” He yells urgently. “Quickly!”

The serious tone to his words have Jongdae feeling a little uneasy. He quickly runs inside, heat immediately firing up his numb cheeks. Once the five of them are inside, the man quickly closes the door and locks it.

“Hello Joonmyun,” he greets with a soft smile. The two embrace shortly. “Take off your wet clothes by the door please, I’ll hang them to dry later.”

Jongdae looks around the cabin and is surprised by its modern use of space. It feels bigger on the inside. The living room has a lowered space for a fireplace and the sofa surrounding it, there is a table by the left window that has space for two, and a big book case taking up the entire wall. There are three more doors to what Jongdae can only assume are the bathroom, kitchen, and bedroom.

Suddenly, one of them opens and a lanky man with dog ears and a tail stands in the doorway. His eyes are widened and his ears twitch before his tail starts wagging and a broad smile appears on his lips.

“I’m Yixing and this is Chanyeol,” Yixing introduces. “Come here buddy!”

Chanyeol sprints towards Yixing and hugs him tightly while eyeing the new arrivals with glee.

Joonmyun sticks his hand out to Chanyeol, “Nice to meet you!” but gets no response other than a weak handshake.

“Chanyeol doesn’t speak any human language. Just wolf.”

Jongdae blinks curiously. He’s never met a creature like Chanyeol. Not knowing any human language isn’t anything strange, but only knowing the language of your animal part is quite unheard of.

“But can he understand us?” Baekhyun asks, only to receive a hit on the head from Kyungsoo.

“That’s rude,” the vampire hisses.

Yixing laughs, “Don’t worry. He only understands me. You see, I am a zoolinguist, meaning I understand and communicate with animals.”

“That’s incredible!” Baekhyun remarks.

A small smile plants itself on Yixing’s lips. “It’s a gift,” he says softly, giving Chanyeol a soft caress over his head. The wolf smiles widely at that.

“I should introduce you guys,” Joonmyun suddenly interjects rather nervously. “This is Jongdae, Baekhyun, Kyungsoo, and Minseok. They’re all from my school.”

“Jeolban?” Yixing asks curiously.

“Yes.”

“Why are you here, then? Shouldn’t you be in class or something? Last time I heard from Jeolban, students weren’t allowed to leave the grounds.”

Jongdae scratches his head, feeling a tad bit responsible. “Well, the thing is… we came here hoping you could help us train our magic. Make us stronger.”

Yixing narrows his eyes. “Are you telling me you’re breaking the school’s rules right now to work on a bit of magic?”

Jongdae hangs his head low and sees the same shameful expression on his friends’ faces.

Then comes a bark of laughter. “I can’t believe this! Man, if your mom heard about this—”

“Don’t tell her!” Joonmyun squeaks.

“I won’t, don’t worry.”

Joonmyun looks unconvinced but lets it be.

“Enough talking already, let’s get you guys something to eat. Chanyeol,” he calls, the wolf by his side in seconds, “grab the extra blankets from the cellar, will you.”

Chanyeol obeys within a blink, strutting off to one of the rooms. His eyes keep drawing back to the strangers in his house, however, and Jongdae thinks it’s quite endearing.

“Hold up,” Baekhyun intervenes. “I thought he only spoke wolf? How did he understand you?”

“Doesn’t matter what language I speak, the animal will always understand.”

Baekhyun frowns, completely at loss. “How does that work? Makes no sense to me.”

Yixing purses his lips. “It has to do with telepathy,” he then answers.

“Sounds complicated,” Baekhyun mutters as he moves to the sofa and plops down like he’s at home.

“To a simple mind, maybe,” Yixing commentates softly. “Anyways, I’m going to cook you guys some dinner. Would you care to assist me, Joonmyun?”

“Right away,” the wizard answers.

“Good.” Yixing moves his gaze to Minseok. “Watch the fire for me. We have to keep it going in this weather.”

Regardless of the situation back at Jeolban, the seven of them have a great night. Besides being a great wizard, Yixing is also a fantastic cook, and with the help of Joonmyun a big meal is made. Yixing is a little quiet, often focusing his attention on Chanyeol. It doesn’t make his company unpleasant, and so far Jongdae has no bad words to say about him. Jongdae hopes the training will go well because Yixing admitted to never having dealt with demonic forces before.

When the evening falls, Chanyeol makes the beds messily, but he pretends it with such a wide smile no one dared to tell him he wasn’t doing a good job. That, and the sharp look in Yixing’s eyes. There happened to be a shortage of sleeping bags, but Baekhyun had no problem jumping into Kyungsoo’s bed, which the latter begrudgingly allowed.

The five of them surrounded the heater in hopes of not getting cold tonight. Jongdae feels his eyelids droop while he watches the fire in the open fireplace – the pleasant sound of wood popping and crackling as it burns. Slowly, the warmth engulfs him completely and he’s asleep in no time.

 ---

A soft, silky feeling on his thigh. Fingertips. The touch travels over his skin, dancing up to his waist, to his torso, only to finally settle on cheek. The skin of the hand is pale, almost white. Jongdae slides his own hand over it, relishing in the warmth. A face is in front of him, one he has no problems recognizing. Joonmyun. There’s a smile on his pink lips and Jongdae can’t help but be pulled towards it.

They’re kissing.

Jongdae’s body flares up at the soft press of Joonmyun’s lips. It takes less than a second for him to start kissing back, his lips softly molding over Joonmyun’s. The cushiony lips feel like heaven, pulling him in. With a soft, short moan, Joonmyun opens his mouth, allowing Jongdae’s tongue to dip in. Not just the kiss turns heated: Jongdae feels his body pulsing with lust, the desire to be closer settling deep in his stomach.

Joonmyun’s second hand lands on his thigh. Jongdae feels a tingle at the touch, but keeps his focus on kissing. However, the hand moves higher up his thigh, stopping mere inches from his crotch. At the same time, a mewl spills from Joonmyun’s lips. It lights Jongdae on fire. Within seconds, he has Joonmyun underneath him, his pale torso exposed. Jongdae feels his throat dry up at the sight, but before he can drool more Joonmyun has pulled him back into a kiss.

Jongdae lets his hands roam over the expanse of Joonmyun’s silky skin, fingertips trailing up his stomach until they come to a halt at his chest. The pale brown nubs stand perkily on his chest, ready to be touched. Jongdae presses his pointer against the center, but as it evokes no reaction he latches his mouth onto the nipple. Joonmyun gasps, his hands immediately flying in Jongdae’s hair. Jongdae nibbles on the soft nub, gently grazing it with his teeth. Such tiny touches have Joonmyun panting in pleasure, and Jongdae isn’t surprised when he feels something hard grind up against his thigh. Jongdae then puts his hand to use: the fingers come up to tweak Joonmyun’s free nipple, drawing another series of gasps from the latter.

“ _J-Jongdae!_ ” he moans loudly, the words echoing in Jongdae’s ears.

The next thing Jongdae knows, he sees hot ash from the fireplace in front of him. He sits up in shock, not believing that all he just experienced was nothing more than a wet dream.

A wet dream about Joonmyun.

Shame makes Jongdae put his head in his hands while simultaneously ignoring the hardness between his legs. How could he dream like that about Joonmyun? It’s not like he liked him in that way! Jongdae gazes over to sleeping Joonmyun who is sleeping soundly, and it makes his heart skip a beat.

Or did he?

 ---

Yixing is absent during breakfast. Physically, he’s there – he sits at the table while patting Chanyeol’s head, but that’s about it. His gaze is glassy as he stares at his steaming cup of coffee, seemingly lost in his mind. None of the company commentate on it, even if they do share a couple of looks. The only one who reacts to Yixing’s strange state is Chanyeol, who whines softly and pushes his head against the wizard’s side. Yixing doesn’t seem to notice and just carries on with his soft petting.

After the silent breakfast, Joonmyun starts collecting the plates and cutlery. Before he can walk away with a stack, Yixing speaks up:

“I’m hearing whispers. I’ve been hearing them since you came.”

It remains silent for a few seconds. Jongdae tries listen to the whispers, but only hears the crackling of the wood in the fireplace and the wind howling outside.

“I don’t hear anything,” Baekhyun replies boldly, earning an angry look from Kyungsoo.

“I didn’t expect you to.” Yixing chuckles. “I have parabolic hearing. It means that not only do I have enhanced hearing, I can focus on a certain area and only hear those sounds. The strange thing is, these whispers are really soft, I can’t make out what they’re saying even when I concentrate. I think… they might know I can only hear so far and went out of my earshot on purpose.”

“Maybe it’s just Kris, Zitao, and Sehun,” Kyungsoo supplies. “We met them not very far from here.”

“Who?”

“Two mermaids and a vampire. They live somewhere by the river,” Kyungsoo explains.

“Oh, those three,” Yixing replies with a laugh. “It’s definitely not them. I tune them out on a regular basis. I can hear them even when I’m not focusing on that area. One of them has such a squeaky voice, it gives me a headache.”

“That ought to be Zitao,” Jongdae chimes in with a laugh.

“Can you sense them, Minseok?” Joonmyun suddenly asks.

Minseok blinks before shaking his head. “No…”

“Presence sensing?” Yixing inquires. Minseok nods. “Ah, how interesting. Quite a strong power for a half-blood.”

“My mother is a very strong wizard,” is the only answer Minseok gives before the topic is closed.

“Well, let’s try and get some training done. You should return to Jeolban as fast as possible.”

Breakfast is cleaned within no time with so many hands. After the dishes are done, the company eagerly puts their boots and coats on, ready to go outside and train. While they do so, Chanyeol jumps around them, occasionally bumping his head against someone in affection. Eventually he gets so excited that he shifts into a big brown wolf and starts barking from happiness. Baekhyun responds to his enthusiasm, taking him outside to play in the snow. Kyungsoo follows, watching the two with a soft smile on his face. It’s rare to see Kyungsoo smile, and Baekhyun would probably have made a fuss about it if he weren’t so busy hurling snow at Chanyeol. Yixing and Minseok follow, both in their own calm manner.

That leaves Joonmyun and Jongdae in the cabin. Jongdae is immediately struck by tension, remembering last night’s dream. He turns his face away in shame, pretending to be completely focused on putting his coat on. Flashes of his Joonmyun’s pale skin, his pleasured expression, and his aroused sounds repeat in his mind, causing Jongdae to blush. Why is he thinking about _that_ right in front of him? It’s simply wrong.

As he’s zipped up his coat, Jongdae reaches for the door in a rushed manner, but he’s stopped by a hand on his arm.

“Wait,” Joonmyun’s soft voice speaks.

 Jongdae turns around, meeting Joonmyun’s pretty face up close. His heart starts beating erratically in his chest. Joonmyun suddenly raises his arms towards Jongdae, and the next thing he knows a soft scarf wraps around his neck. Jongdae’s breath is caught in his throat as Joonmyun ties to fabric at the front in concentration. Once he’s done, he lets go and smiles.

“You’ll catch a cold without a scarf,” he explains, patting said item.

Jongdae is left shaken with butterflies as Joonmyun exits the cabin. He follows a few seconds later, still not completely comprehending the situation.

“I suggest we start by creating an attack formation. You have a better chance of success when you work together,” Yixing tells them, opening up the big book he brought along. “It’s clear to me that Minseok is the strongest out of you, along with Jongdae, whose powers have a lot of potential, so you should be on the frontline. Pretend I’m a bad guy and stand opposite of me.”

Jongdae and Minseok do as they’re told, getting into position just a few meters away from each other.

“Now I’m not all too familiar with dark magic such as yours, but I think you’ll have no problem creating a blast, don’t you think?” Yixing asks, eyebrows arched in expectation.

“I’ll try,” Jongdae replies.

“Just concentrate. Don’t worry about hurting me, I will be fine.”

Jongdae nods before closing his eyes. He tries to channel all his demonic energy into his stretched out hand. After trying his hardest for about a second or twenty, Jongdae feels a light spark in his stomach. He focuses completely on the feeling, fueling it with as much energy as he can manage. The spark grows stronger, faster, and before Jongdae knows it he’s fired a deep purple blast at Yixing, who deflects it with nothing more than a swipe of his hand.

“Very good!” Yixing exclaims happily. “Your powers are strong despite being only half a demon. I have to say I’m not surprised – dark magic has always been powerful.”

In the meantime, Jongdae is still numb, staring at his hand, awed by the fact he managed to create a blast all by himself.

“I’ve always thought there was more to Jongdae than being a goat,” Baekhyun commentates with a grin. It earns him a glare from Kyungsoo per usual.

“Wh-what else can I do? With these powers, I mean,” Jongdae asks, eyes wide.

Yixing shrugs. “I don’t think I’ll be able to give you a list, but assume you’ll have regular wizard power but more… murderous. Lots of soul-related attacks. I bet your dad knows more about it.”

The thought of his powers being associated with murder has Jongdae fall his arms back at his side, his breath a little shaky. He’s always known that demon powers aren’t exactly used for good, but to actually use them with such an intention is kind of scary.

“Are you okay?” Kyungsoo asks from behind Yixing, his gaze worried.

“I’m fine,” Jongdae mumbles. “Let’s continue.”

“Alright.” Yixing’s look has a tiny bit of concern in it, but it fades as he turns around. “Joonmyun, can you make a blast yet?”

Jongdae stills at that. He knows it’s a very sensitive topic for Joonmyun, and the reason he’s sensitive about it in the first place is Yixing. He wants to intervene, but Joonmyun is already answering.

“N-no,” Joonmyun confesses, his cheeks red as he stares at the forest floor in shame.

Yixing seems a little speechless at that. To not further embarrass Joonmyun, he wins the attention back to him by clearing his throat. “How about small bolts of energy?”

“J-just a little.”

“Well, anything is useful. How’s your potion brewing? You were pretty good at that, weren’t you?”

Before Joonmyun can answer bashfully again, Jongdae chimes in, feeling the need to praise his friend. “He’s amazing! When he made a sleeping potion he could adjust the time to his will! He’s at the top of the class and the teacher’s favorite.”

Yixing seems surprised at that while Joonmyun just blushes more.

“That’s great!” Yixing exclaims. “It will definitely be useful in battle. Now, moving on to you, Kyungsoo. Got any special talents that could be useful?”

“I just have a more advanced body of a human – more strength, more speed. Nothing special apart from the main vampire stuff.”

“Then you would make great defense. Go stand at Jongdae’s side.”

Kyungsoo does as he’s told, sending a small smile to his friend.

“And you, Baekhyun? I don’t know much about… reptile powers.”

“My fangs are venomous and the scales on my neck are poisonous. I can constrict someone to death in a matter of seconds, but other than that nothing.”

“That also sounds like some pretty good defense,” Yixing commentates. “You guys are just the most perfect lineup.”

Suddenly, Chanyeol barks. Jongdae had forgotten all about him.

“It seems Chanyeol agrees,” Yixing tells them.

“Did he say that?” Baekhyun asks in awe, his eyes gleeful as they watch the wolf jump around in the snow.

Yixing smiles secretively in response.

“Let’s get to some attack practicing. Jongdae’s magic is going to need a lot of work if we only have very little time. A simple blast isn’t going to stop a nymph. We need to find out what stronger attacks you can learn. I don’t want to teach you anything dark yet but I think some basic magic should do the trick. Now if you would just—”

Yixing pauses in shock, his gaze traveling to the trees. Chanyeol’s ears twitch as well. Unsurely, Jongdae turns to where their eyes are but sees nothing.

“Wh-what’s going on?” Joonmyun asks, his eyes displaying fear.

“Get behind me!” Yixing hisses. The students obey immediately, seeking cover behind the strong wizard. “The whispers… they’re close…”

Jongdae holds his breath as he hears several sets of footsteps treading in through the snow. His eyes search Minseok, trying to see if he’s sensing anything. The latter’s face is blank. It makes Jongdae feel just a little unsettled. To calm his nerves, he closes in on Joonmyun and grabs his hand. This time he ignores the spark it creates, focusing on the approaching danger instead.

Several figures step out of the trees. An alluring scent enters Jongdae’s nose just after – nymphs. Were they being followed this whole time? The pretty faces come closer and Jongdae has to let go of Joonmyun’s hand to get into an attack stance, but not before squeezing it one last time.

“Stay behind me and prepare to attack,” Yixing orders, stepping back.

Everyone follows the command, everyone but Minseok. The wizard stays in place as the company steps back.

“Minseok?” Joonmyun calls. “What are you doing? Get back here.”

The nymphs close in on them but Minseok is still frozen in place.

“Get over here, Minseok! You’re going to get yourself killed!”

The first nymph is already at Minseok’s side, but does nothing to attack the wizard. Instead, the nymph pauses next to him, a grin on its ethereal face. Minseok then turns around, facing the group as more nymphs pause at his side.

“Minseok?” Joonmyun squeaks, his expression falling.

A smirk plants itself on Minseok’s face.

“Oh, Joonmyun. Ever so stupid. Can’t believe you actually thought I was your friend.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi readers!! sorry about the long wait :C i feel like i gotta explain why i havent updated in 6 week (smh @ myself). um february is usually a busy month for me but this time i was just packed!! i had to take over extra shifts at work, had several birthdays, exams, plus a trip to spain where i didn't have my laptop. aka sorry about the long delay and dont worry it wont happen again!!!  
> so a lot of ppl caught on minseok really early and i was like wtf yall are so sharp!!! i denied it obviously bcs i didnt want to spoil anything but surprise? LOL  
> so did you guys like the little m rated scene?? i bet you did ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)  
> anyway, i wrote a teeny tiny chenhun oneshot you might wanna read!! click [here](http://archiveofourown.org/works/9702767)  
> i hope you liked it and havent forgotten this story!!! toodles my dudes!!!


	11. XI/XVI

Jongdae feels all blood drain from his face.

“Wh-what do you mean?” Joonmyun asks. His voice sounds small.

Minseok chuckles in a taunting manner. “You don’t understand? You really _are_ stupider than I thought,” he remarks, sharing a laugh with the nearby nymphs. “Did you really think a half-blood could be this powerful? Presence-sensing, telepathy… it would be a miracle for a half-blood to obtain these powers – let alone have them be strong. God, everyone in that school is not only a half-blood, but a half-brain too.”

“Shut the fuck up!” Baekhyun barks.

Minseok’s eyes flicker to Baekhyun, the smirk on his face broadening. “ _You_ might know a friend of mine. His name is Luhan. I heard some of his followers caused you quite a bit of trouble back in your previous school.”

This time, Baekhyun doesn’t respond. Instead, he reaches forward, but is immediately stopped by Kyungsoo, who makes him rethink his decisions with a pleading look.

“You know, I’m actually quite impressed that you kids managed to find all five of my marks and figure out its meaning.”

Jongdae feels his heart skip a beat.

“…You were behind the marks?” he asks, nearly losing his breath.

“Yes. It was me. I am the necromancer,” Minseok answers, a cynical smile on his lips. “The school was so busy protecting the students they failed to see the danger was right in front of them the entire time.”

“Did you let the nymphs through the force fields as well?”

“I did. And I was also behind the kidnapping of Baekhyun. Well, we planned it to happen later but this nymph wouldn’t listen. Taught the kid a lesson. I’m sure you saw the body, didn’t you, Baekhyun?”

Baekhyun stiffens at the mention of his name. Then he starts shaking. Jongdae knows he’s recalling the event as his eyes turn glassy. Minseok did it on purpose and it’s feeding Jongdae’s rage. Kyungsoo shares his fury, glaring at the necromancer.

“Asshole,” Kyungsoo spits, clenching his hand around Baekhyun’s arm.

“Luhan knows of your existence, you know. That’s quite the impression you made. He told me to take care of you. I wanted to do it back at the school, but you made it easier for me and just let yourself walk into a trap. I have to thank you for it, though. It makes the job a lot easier.”

The taunting tone has the hairs on Jongdae’s neck rising. But what’s really unnerving is Joonmyun’s passiveness. He hasn’t moved or said anything. Jongdae makes the mistake of glancing over to him and getting his heart broken by the hurt expression on his face. The betrayal must’ve hit him. Jongdae feels himself combust with fury. How dare Minseok take advantage of Joonmyun’s kindness like that!

“I thought we were friends…” comes Joonmyun’s soft voice.

For a millisecond, the cynicism falls off Minseok’s expression, replaced by surprise before immediately turning back to mockery.

“Don’t take it personally. I just needed a weak soul to make this plan work.”

Tears brim Joonmyun’s eyes. “You were by my side for nearly two years! How could you betray me after everything we’ve shared? I told you everything about me! My deepest secrets, my magic, my past… you know what I’ve been through yet you still stab my back?”

“I told you not to take it personally,” Minseok repeats, his tone a bit pressing – irritation now visible on his face.

“But you knew me personally!”

Minseok sighs. “I’ve had enough of this. It’s over, Joonmyun. Get it through your thick head.”

Joonmyun flinches before his expression falls – face now devoid of emotion.

“Does that mean we can attack them now?” A voice in the nymph crowd inquires.

“You are free to attack,” Minseok announces with a smile. Then he takes a step back as the nymphs charge forward, the menacing grin being the last thing Jongdae sees before he disappears in the crowd.

Next thing Jongdae knows he’s being pulled backwards by his collar. A fiercely red force field generates around them and Jongdae turns to find Yixing feeding it energy. The nymphs are fighting against the shield, blasting it with the best of their abilities. While their faces are still as luring as ever, the pheromones and seductive magic cannot pass through the force field. It makes Jongdae feel safe for a few seconds.

But then the bubble becomes smaller – Jongdae has to step closer to Yixing. He hits Kyungsoo on his right side and Joonmyun on his left. It’s getting cramped already.

“What do we do?” Kyungsoo asks in a frenzy. His voice barely reaches over the nymphs’ noise and the humming of the force fields.

“Joonmyun, can you - _ugh-_ generate a force field?” Yixing requests. He grunts as it becomes harder to keep the field up, even his advanced magic cannot withstand an attack from nymphs in such large numbers.

As Joonmyun fails to reply, Jongdae looks over at his friend in concern. He sees Joonmyun is crouched on the floor, his head between his knees.

“Joonmyun? Can you hear me?” Yixing’s voice is desperate. “Come to your senses, Joonmyun! We’ll die if you don’t help me!”

Joonmyun remains unresponsive.

Yixing groans and suddenly the shield shrinks a visible amount, leaving the edge of Jongdae’s shoe outside. He pulls it back in shock and glances over at Yixing in fear.

“You need to help me,” Yixing says to him. “I need you to hold this shield while I blow them away.”

“I-I don’t know if I can,” Jongdae replies in all honestly. His eyes fall on the nymphs surrounding the entire shield and he shudders.

“You are the only one who can.”

Taking a deep, shaky breath, Jongdae nods. He moves closer to Yixing, who grabs his hand and puts it to the roof of the shield. A surge of heavy energy immediately courses through his body, and the color of the shield changes to a deep purple.

“When I let go you just have to hold it for ten seconds,” Yixing instructs. “Tell me you can do it.”

“I can do it.”

“Then on the count of three… one… two… three!”

As Yixing’s palm slides off the ceiling of the shield, all energy drops on Jongdae’s shoulders, nearly causing him to collapse on the spot. It takes an immense amount of strength to keep it up – he feels the energy pulling on every single muscle. The force field gets smaller under his hold, but as lots of the countering force is suddenly gone due to Yixing’s attack, it stops shrinking.

It may only have been mere seconds, but to Jongdae it felt like minutes if not hours before Yixing takes the task back. Jongdae immediately drops to his knees. Not a spark of energy is left in his body. His eyelids are already dropping as he hears his name being called.

 ---

The first thing Jongdae sees when he wakes up on Yixing’s bed is Chanyeol’s face up close. It startles him a little bit, but what really takes the shock away is the dirt on the poor guy. The next thing Jongdae notices is the bandage around Chanyeol’s shoulder. As the wolf notices Jongdae’s concerned look, he pounces forward and buries his head in Jongdae’s neck. A soft smile makes its way onto Jongdae’s lips before he embraces Chanyeol.

Then he feels a tug on his ankle.

It nearly makes him jump ten feet into the air. There is a strange male sitting by his foot, his glowing hands slowly ghosting over the skin. What is even scarier is that Jongdae immediately notices _what_ this stranger is – a nymph. Images of the assault in the parking lot and the earlier fight flash through his mind. Jongdae instantly snatches his foot back and draws his legs in. 

The nymph looks startled by the extreme reaction before his eyes soften. “I’m not bad,” he murmurs, slowly inching towards Jongdae.

Jongdae kicks the reaching hand away. His body shakes with fear as the nymph does not back down. He’s in a powerless position with someone whose race is well-known for its senseless hate for half-bloods.

“Stay away!” Jongdae yells as he trembles on the spot.

“I’m not going to hurt you!”

“Jongdae?” A new voice calls. Jongdae glances over to the doorway and sees Kyungsoo’s figure storming in. Concern is immediate in his face. “Jongin, you need to step back. You’re scaring him.”

The nymph, Jongin, complies easily, though his eyes stay on Jongdae.

Kyungsoo steps closer and gives Chanyeol a pat on the head before kneeling down by Jongdae.

“Who let him in?” Jongdae asks, voice still shaking.

“Yixing did. I know what you’re thinking, but Jongin will not hurt you. He would have already done it if he wanted to.”

Hesitantly, Jongdae’s eyes slide to the nymph. Jongin looks trustworthy, but then again all nymphs do. Kyungsoo’s argument does make sense – if this nymph had any desire to kill him Jongdae would be long dead.

“Then what was he doing with my foot?”

“He was trying to heal you. That’s why Yixing called him in. Baekhyun dropped you while he was carrying you back to the cabin. It was an unlucky landing but nothing broke. We all have some minor injuries, but none of us have healing abilities and we need to be in good health as soon as possible.”

“But why him? Why a _nymph_ out of all people?”

“He was close by,” Kyungsoo answers.

Jongdae squints his eyes at Jongin, who is looking the other way. Trusting a nymph doesn’t seem like a great plan after all that happened. He wonders how Baekhyun could have possibly let this nymph in. It must’ve been Kyungsoo’s persistency.

“Just let Jongin heal you. After you’re done… please try and get a word out of Joonmyun.”

The mention of the wizard immediately has all of Jongdae’s attention. “Is he okay? What happened?”

“Well… you know he kind of fell into this… _numb_ state during the battle, right?”

“He hasn’t snapped out of it?”

Kyungsoo shakes his head. “He’s just… sitting by the fire, ignoring everyone.”

“What makes you think I’m the one who will snap him out of it?”

Kyungsoo gives Jongdae a pointed look. “Come on. We all know you two like each other a lot more than you care to admit.”

Blood rushes to Jongdae’s cheeks. “Baekhyun told you, didn’t he?”

“I was the one who told him,” Kyungsoo says with a smirk before walking out.

A sigh escapes Jongdae’s lips as he pats Chanyeol’s head. Then Jongin clears his throat, alerting Jongdae that he’s still here.

“Can I heal you now?”

“…Just don’t try anything.”

As Jongin starts to heal him, Jongdae feels curiosity awaken. And not because Jongin’s hand and eyes are glowing blue. Jongin doesn’t seem to care about the fact that he’s a half-blood, neither that Jongdae openly expressed his dislike earlier.

“Why are you so… not nymph-y?” Jongdae decides to ask. “Aren’t you supposed to be repulsed by every inch of my half-blood being?”

Jongin chuckled. “Your friend asked me the same thing.”

That could have been no other than Baekhyun.

“I’ve never been part of these… cliques nymphs tend to have. Always been much more of an alone person. It’s mostly because the nymphs completely rejected me.”

Jongdae frowns, scanning Jongin’s figure up and down. The latter doesn’t seem like he’s unfit to be a nymph looking that gorgeous and all, but perhaps it’s an opinion. Nymphs do have a tendency to reject anyone who doesn’t agree with their values.

“You see… I’m not a full nymph,” Jongin confesses.

_Not a full nymph? Does that mean he’s...?_

“I’m a half-blood, just like you.”

Jongdae’s mouth falls open. “A half-blooded nymph? That-that’s unheard of…”

“It was an accidental pregnancy. No sane nymph would want a child with anything other than a nymph.”

The conversation falls silent and Jongin finishes healing soon after.

“It should be fine now,” Jongin tells him as his eyes and hand stop glowing.

Jongdae wiggles his ankles and feels nothing out of the ordinary. “Thank you.”

Jongin shrugs. “No problem,” is all he says before walking out the room.

As Jongdae tries to get up, Chanyeol suddenly jumps in his lap in his wolf form. Jongdae hadn’t even seen him change! “Agh, Chanyeol! Get off, I need to go see Joonmyun!” Chanyeol completely ignores his request and starts nuzzling his head against Jongdae’s shoulder. It’s a little touching. “Are you that happy that I’m better? I wasn’t even that badly injured in the first place.”

The only response Jongdae gets from that is a few licks in his face.

 ---

When Jongdae lays his eyes on Joonmyun, his back is turned. As Kyungsoo said, Joonmyun is just watching the fire, looking rather numb. Jongdae slowly approaches his friend, feeling himself get more worried with the second. Joonmyun’s face comes into view and Jongdae is sad to find him looking empty. Without a word, he gives his friends a look and they all evacuate.

Jongdae grabs the blanket he slept under last night before gently placing himself next to Joonmyun. The latter doesn’t even flinch. Jongdae then casts the blanket over the both of them, which does catch Joonmyun’s attention – he gives Jongdae a short glance before putting his hands over the blanket.

“I heard you’re not feeling too well,” Jongdae says softly. He presses close to Joonmyun, their sides touching. No comment is made, suggesting Jongdae’s implication is probably true. “Are you okay?”

Joonmyun clenches his fists at that. Out of nowhere, Jongdae gains the courage to lay his own hand on top of his, lacing their fingers together. Joonmyun stares at their intertwined hands with an expressionless face.

“I’m fine,” he then mutters.

“Are you sure about that? Do you want to talk about… you know, what happened.”

“No.” A firm answer. Jongdae understands he shouldn’t press the matter any further.

“Alright.”

An awkward silence falls, in which Jongdae realizes he’s still holding Joonmyun’s hand. His dainty though veiny fingers feel soft laced in his, and Jongdae finds him stroking his thumb over the delicate skin. A blush appears on Joonmyun’s cheeks and suddenly the mood transforms into quite something else.

“Is your leg okay?” Joonmyun asks softly, unlacing their fingers and laying his hand on Jongdae’s thigh.

Jongdae feels his breath shorten. The hand on his thigh reminds him of the dream he had, the one where Joonmyun _was in the nude and_ — Jongdae gulps, shaking the thoughts off.

“It’s fine,” he manages to answer despite his nervousness. “Jongin healed it.”

“Jongin?”

“Yeah, he—” Jongdae’s words fall short as Joonmyun suddenly leans his head on his shoulder. His scent wafts towards Jongdae’s nose, a scent that is _so_ Joonmyun it has the hairs on Jongdae’s neck stand straight up. “—he came to heal our injuries,” he finishes, albeit a bit shakily.

Joonmyun snuggles closer, and Jongdae can’t resist putting his arm around him. While his heart may be thumping erratically, Jongdae still finds a certain peace. Holding Joonmyun like this is cozy, and it just feels _right_. Slowly, he feels himself start to drift off, finding comfort in Joonmyun’s body heat.

Jongdae completely surrenders. The feeling Joonmyun gives him is too intense to be called friendship.

It’s love.

But the thought of being in love with Joonmyun doesn’t scare him at all – admitting it relieves him instead. Jongdae falls asleep with a smile on his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hiya everyone!! told u i would be back to regular updatin!!!!!!!!!!!!!  
> i gotta break that promise tho cuz i have some really important exams coming up and i cant slack on these!! 
> 
> this chapter is a bit of a breather, not anything intense (apart from the fight maybe sorta) but hey u got some suchen!!
> 
> anyways, u guys are the best thank u for reading!!!!!!! and not giving up on this story after i didnt update for 6 weeks LOL  
> kisses!!!!!!!


	12. XII/XVI

As the morning comes, Jongdae is rudely woken by Chanyeol’s tongue lapping at his face. It seems this is becoming a habit. He cracks his eyes open and sees Chanyeol’s face directly in front of him. Seeing that Jongdae has woken up, Chanyeol beams in satisfaction and moves a bit to the side, directing his tongue at someone else.

Joonmyun, who is still lying against Jongdae. Heat immediately rushes to Jongdae’s cheeks. A sleeping Joonmyun is the most precious thing ever. The flames in the fireplace leave a gentle glow on his pale skin. His face scrunches up at Chanyeol’s licking on his nose and he groans softly. The sound has Jongdae’s hairs standing up, feeling extremely conscious of Joonmyun’s existence. 

As Joonmyun’s warm eyes flutter open, he lets out another groan and stretches his arms out. His fists hit Jongdae in the ribs. Their eyes connect and there is a tiny moment of silence before they both flush a deep red.

“G-good morning,” Joonmyun greets, lifting himself up. Sleep is crusted around his eyes while a drop of drool rests in the corner of his lips.

“Good morning,” Jongdae greets back nervously. He smiles a little.

“Stop flirting you two!” Baekhyun interjects. “We have some serious things to discuss.”

“W-we weren’t flirting!” Jongdae tries to object. It only earns him a scoff.

“Really? Because to me it sure looked like flirting. It even reminded me of the morning after my first night with Soo! We were all shy and—”

“I don’t need to know that.”

“What Soo and I have is pure and when we made love—”

“Okay, Baekhyun, that’s about enough.” Kyungsoo steps in, wearing his infamous glare. It causes Baekhyun to jump away immediately, channeling his puppy eyes in hope of calming his boyfriend. “Aside from Jongdae not wanting to hear it, I don’t want to share it.”

“Baekhyun juts his bottom lip out. “Sorry Soo.”

Kyungsoo rolls his eyes. “Anyway, this morning Yixing came to know about some of Luhan’s plans.”

The words instantly catch Jongdae’s attention. Amidst harboring his crush and Minseok’s betrayal, he has completely forgotten the reason they are here: train to be able to defend the Jeolban when the time comes.

“His plans for attacking Jeolban are already in action. Apparently nymphs are scouring around the area. The police refuses to do anything about it.”

Baekhyun clenches his fists despite having heard this news before. It angers Jongdae as well, this endless dismissal against half-bloods.

“We need to get back to Jeolban right now,” Jongdae insists. “With everything that we know maybe we can force the police to act. Or at least enlighten the teachers of the situation.”

Kyungsoo nods his head. “I agree. The sooner we’re back the more we benefit from it.”

“What about training? We barely know anything.” Joonmyun’s tone drips with concern. He must be worried about having to fight with his powers as they are. 

“We’ll train back at Jeolban. And maybe Yixing can write out some manuals or something. But right now we cannot afford to lose any time. If the situation escalates before we get back to Jeolban, it’ll be disastrous.”

The look of worry wears deeper into Joonmyun’s features. Jongdae wants to embrace him, tell him everything will be okay and that he will be safe, but now is not the time. They need to get back to Jeolban and fast.

 ---

“Thank you, Yixing. For helping us.” Kyungsoo cracks a tiny smile, which sends Baekhyun into a flurry of cries. Irritated, Kyungsoo drags his boyfriend into a headlock. “And thank you for not kicking this asshole out.”

Yixing chuckles. “It was my pleasure.”

While Kyungsoo and Baekhyun scurry off to bid Chanyeol farewell, Jongdae steps towards Yixing.

“Thank you for helping me with my powers. I don’t think I would have unlocked them so fast without your help.”

“No problem at all. Your powers are extremely interesting. Perhaps when this all is over… you can come see me again? I’ve never known much about dark powers I’d like to study them if possible,” Yixing requests with a smile.

“Of course!” Jongdae grins softly before waddling over to Chanyeol through the snow. The latter has transformed into his wolf form and is lying belly up. Kyungsoo and Baekhyun are a few meters away, their hands joined in Kyungsoo’s mitten. They whisper to each other, but Jongdae can’t make out any emotions, not even from Baekhyun. He gives Chanyeol a thorough belly rub instead and secretly watches Joonmyun and Yixing interact.

Yixing is speaking while Joonmyun nods at his words. The expression on Joonmyun’s face is none other than sullen. Yixing notices his sadness and pulls him into a hug. Once they part he lays his hands on Joonmyun’s shoulder and smiles, which Joonmyun mimics. Joonmyun’s smile is a bit more forced, but Yixing doesn’t seem to mind. He pats Joonmyun on the shoulder one last time before letting him go.

As soon as Joonmyun walks away from Yixing into his direction, Jongdae averts his eyes, pretending he wasn’t spying on them. Joonmyun crouches down on the opposite side of Chanyeol, takes off his mitten and scratches his belly.

“You okay?”

Joonmyun bites his lip. “Just a little sad that I have to say goodbye to Yixing and Chanyeol, that’s all.”

“Okay.”

The two of them pet Chanyeol’s belly in silence. Chanyeol doesn’t pick up the mood between them and thoroughly enjoys the belly rubs – his eyes closed in pleasure and tail wagging happily.

“We have to go, Chanyeollie,” Joonmyun says after a while.

Jongdae gives the wolf one last pet before standing up alongside Joonmyun. That seems to shake Chanyeol, who rolls on his stomach and gives them a questioning looks.

“Sorry, you’re going to have to ask Yixing for belly rubs now.”

Chanyeol stares up at them with puppy eyes. Joonmyun and Jongdae share a sad look.

When Jongdae and Joonmyun reconcile with Baekhyun and Kyungsoo, the four of them wave back at the cottage. Chanyeol has rejoined Yixing and is now tilting his head to the side, confused.  

“Bye Chanyeollie!” Baekhyun yells out one last time.

The wolf’s tail wags for a few seconds before it stills again. Chanyeol questioningly looks up at Yixing. All the wizard does is pat him on the head.

 ---

Thankfully, there is no looming snowstorm as the four make their way back to Jeolban. The snow, however, is still as thick as ever. It causes them to have slow progress, but at least they don’t get sidetracked like last time.

For a brief moment Jongdae fears Minseok’s return, but Yixing told them he hadn’t heard any voices nearby after the fight. Jongdae figures they’re probably with Luhan, considering Minseok implied he was close with the nymph. The memory of Minseok’s betrayal still weighs heavy on his heart. He can’t imagine how Joonmyun must feel – a best friend for several years just stabbing you in the back like that.

Joonmyun doesn’t show how upset he is, but he has become a lot more silent. His voice is softer and his eyes are emptier. The subtle signs of sadness leave Jongdae feeling helpless. All he can do is try his best to stay positive, and hopefully cheer Joonmyun up a little.

The glowing border of a force field comes in sight around dinner time. It shines a deep red, illuminating the trees and snow in a rather spectacular manner. Once the faint humming reaches Jongdae’s ears, he feels excited.

He no longer feels the thick snow or the icy wind. Only the joy of returning to his beloved Jeolban. The relief of school still standing is immense. They’re not too late.

The four of them run the last few meters, laughter loud among them.

“So… what now?”

“I’m guessing they still have sensors on. We just touch it and the teachers will come running,” Jongdae suggests, shrugging.

“But then they’ll know we were gone!” Baekhyun objects.

“You think they don’t know that already? Four _very_ notable students go missing and you think they haven’t noticed? Baekhyun, the school keeps a closer eye on you than the government does on your taxes.” Kyungsoo shakes his head at his boyfriend.

“Oh, right.” Baekhyun grins awkwardly and presses up against Kyungsoo, trying to win his affections back. Kyungsoo sighs and pats his lower back.

“Okay, everyone put your hands on the force field now,” Jongdae orders, stretching hand out.

Their hands touch the force field at the same exact time, save for Baekhyun who is a few seconds late. The touch is strange. It feels like trying to put n-poled magnets against each other – they will repel.

After they take their hands off, a rather awkward silence falls between them, but it doesn’t take long for figures to appear on the Jeolban side of the field. Jongdae can spot two adults running their way. One of them has a light shining from their hand. When the two come close enough Jongdae can make out their faces – Mr. Yang and headmistress Kang.

As soon as headmistress Kang recognizes the students, she scowls. Mr. Yang, one the other hand, shakes his head.

“Mind explaining where you have been?” the headmistress’ stern tone has Jongdae cowering in fear.

“We have a very good reason!” Baekhyun objects.

“I sure hope so. You should be glad you brought Joonmyun along. If you hadn’t I wouldn’t be so willing to listen whatever excuse you’ll be giving me. Mr. Yang, please get them in.”

Mr. Yang pulls out a wand and draws a circle on the force field. He then taps it once, creating a gap for the students to enter through.

The headmistress guides them to her office. She tells Mr. Yang to wait behind his desk while she interrogates the students.

Once the five of them are in her office, she plops down on her leather chair with a sigh. She leans back and laces her hands over her stomach before giving the four students an expecting look.

“So? Are you going to tell me why you made me worry my ass off the past four days? And where the hell is Minseok?”

“It’s a very long story,” Kyungsoo tells her.

“I have time. Why don’t you start with where Minseok is? The last thing I need right now is a missing student.”

“He… he betrayed us. The necromancer who was letting the nymphs into the school… it was him,” Jongdae explains, hoping to not upset Joonmyun too much by reminding him of the event.

Headmistress Kang frowns. “How is that possible? He’s been a student here for almost two years.”

“All this time he pretended to be a half-blood. The reason we were so vulnerable to the nymph attacks is because he handed all this information to Luhan. The nymphs got away with their attacks because Minseok provided them with layouts of the school.”

“He was right under our nose the entire time…” headmistress Kang mutters, a numb shock on her face. Suddenly, anger flashes over her face and she directs it at Joonmyun. “How could you _not_ have noticed this? You were his best friend!”

Joonmyun flinches, hurt immediately ebbing into his features. It fuels rage within Jongdae and he covers his friend with his body.

“You can’t blame this on Joonmyun! He did nothing wrong!”  
“Fine, get the fuck out then. I don’t even care anymore.”

“Gladly,” Jongdae spits.

He reaches for Joonmyun’s hand and pulls him out of the office, slamming the door as loudly as possible.

Mr. Yang is waiting outside, his look apologetic.

“I’m sorry. Ever since the attacks happened she’s lost all sense of rationality. Try not to take it personally.”

Once Jongdae and Joonmyun are out in the hallway, Joonmyun takes his hand back.

“Thank you,” he whispers. “You’re always standing up for me.”

“You’re my friend. How could I not?”

Joonmyun chuckles softly. “I guess so.”

 ---

Thankfully, Kyungsoo and Baekhyun were able to tell the headmistress Luhan is planning on attacking soon. Apparently it sent the teachers into a panic, because no one is allowed to leave the dorms now. So now Jongdae is alone in his room, reading the guide Yixing had left him. He wants to practice some, but in such a small room and his magic being dark magic, it’s not a good idea.  

A knock on the door ruins his focus on _spherical lights_ , but he doesn’t really mind. Any company that isn’t Baekhyun is good.

Opening the door, Jongdae is surprised to see Joonmyun standing there, a faint blush on his cheeks.

“H-hi,” he greets softly, giving a small smile.

“Hey.” Jongdae is baffled at his presence but doesn’t let it show. “Come in. Or did you need something?"

Joonmyun shakes his head. “N-no. But, you know, Kyungsoo stays in my room. A-and Baekhyun came. They started making out so I left…” He lets out an awkward chuckle.

“Oh, right. That’s disturbing.” Jongdae shares a laugh to filter out the tension.

Joonmyun enters his room and takes a long look around. Suddenly Jongdae feels self-conscious about the mess. The dirty clothes, old food, and unidentifiable stains are quite embarrassing. Most garbage is from Baekhyun, but once you live with a pig you start to make messes too. The one time Jongdae actually provoked him over this manner, Baekhyun had given him the reason: _“I can’t help it, it’s my snake parts. We make nests every spring.”_ To which Jongdae replied: _“First of all, you are male. Second of all, snakes don’t make nests for their young. And third of all, it’s autumn.”_ Needless to say, the argument was pointless and the room remained a mess.

“L-let me clean the bed real quick.” Jongdae rushes to his bed and throws all the dirty clothes and crumpled sheets of late homework on his desk in a hurry, nearly knocking a lamp over.

“Your room is so messy,” Joonmyun remarks with a grin as he sits down next to Jongdae.

“Y-yeah, sorry about that.”

“I don’t mind. It fits your personality.”

“Thanks, I guess? Or is that supposed to be an insult?”  
Joonmyun breaks out in laughter. “Maybe,” he then says, a naughty smile on his lips.

God, he’s so perfect. Jongdae just wants to grab him and plant a really big kiss on his mouth.

Instead, Jongdae controls himself. “How are you?” he asks. “I feel like I should be asking that after what we’ve been through.”

Joonmyun’s gleeful expression fails at the question. “I… I don’t know,” he confesses. “I feel empty. Minseok really hurt me. I can’t believe he actually would—”

Tears suddenly start rolling down Joonmyun’s cheeks, his expression contorting in pain. His hands come up to cover his face and Jongdae quickly moves forward to take him into an embrace.

“Why would he do that to me? He knew me for so long and yet—” Joonmyun breaks down in sobs, tears wetting Jongdae’s t-shirt.

“Doing that to you—it makes me so angry. I want to kill him.” Jongdae says these words in a fit of rage, being unable to handle Joonmyun’s tears.

Joonmyun pulls back. His eyes are red and glimmering with tears. “You wouldn’t do that to me, would you?”

“Never! I would never do that, I swear. I’d rather die than put you through something like this.”

Joonmyun looks away for a second, a frown appearing on his forehead. When his eyes reconnect with Jongdae’s, Jongdae sees something dark in them. A shiver runs over Jongdae’s back.

Before he knows it, Joonmyun closes in on him, softly pressing their lips together.

Jongdae forgets everything, the only thing one his mind being Joonmyun’s feathery lips. His heartrate picks up, beating in his eardrums. Joonmyun’s lips push harder against his, and Jongdae quickly angles his head correctly, losing himself in the kiss. This intimate touch from Joonmyun has Jongdae filled to the brim with _want_.

At first it’s innocent kissing, but then Joonmyun pulls Jongdae down on the bed with him. He opens his mouth and lets Jongdae’s tongue slither in. Slick sounds immediately emit from the both of them, but Joonmyun is the one who lets out a soft moan. It sets Jongdae’s skin ablaze. His hand is guided by Joonmyun’s until it’s underneath his pullover, the soft skin of Joonmyun’s stomach directly under his fingertips. The feeling of Joonmyun’s skin in direct contact with his makes his cock spring to life. Jongdae lets his fingers dance across the expanse of skin while still fervidly kissing Joonmyun. A sudden surge of hormones has Jongdae’s fingertips gliding higher, until his thumb touches Joonmyun’s erect nipple.

As if he’s been shocked, Joonmyun shoves Jongdae off of him. He’s out of breath, his hair and pullover a mess, and his lips are glistening with spit.

“I-I’m sorry,” he rasps, straightening his pullover. “I have to go.” Before Jongdae can do anything, Joonmyun storms out of the door, slamming it behind him.

Jongdae is left on the bed with an erection and a ton of guilt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> my dear readers, let me tell you a little something: a writer's greatest pleasure is leaving cliffhangers   
> but hey at least they kissed right??? thats something LOL  
> also sorry for the late update. im just in a very busy spot school-wise right now :(   
> thank you guys for ur support tho!!! kisses!!!!!!


	13. XIII/XVI

Jongdae can’t sleep.

The kiss replays in his mind, and so does Joonmyun rushing out of the room. Jongdae wonders if he went too far, if he should’ve asked to touch Joonmyun instead of just doing it. Guilt is eating him alive.

He doesn’t know what the kiss meant. It was Joonmyun who initiated it, so that must mean he likes Jongdae, right? But then why did he leave? Now confusion is ruining Jongdae as well.

With a deep sigh, Jongdae gazes out the window. Snow is floating down slowly in the light of the moon. It makes Jongdae crave fresh air. He needs to get out of this room and this dorm to clear his head, even if it’s against the rules.

Jongdae peeks his head into the hallway. It is dimly lit at this late hour and abandoned as well. The guard is probably at the front door. He starts to think of excuses already, knowing the guard won’t just let it pass. Deciding on the good old _“I left my books in my locker”,_ Jongdae struts to the front door with confidence. Once he’s descended the stairs, the guard comes into view. Jongdae can’t help but chuckle as the guard is fast asleep on the chair.

With a bit of caution, Jongdae slips out of the dorm building. The cold air is refreshing. Jongdae inhales it with closed eyes. Snowflakes land on his nose and cheeks soon enough, causing Jongdae to shake them off with a smile.

Soon, thoughts of Joonmyun come flooding back into his brain. Jongdae shakes it off with a shiver, and distracts himself by doing some of the simpler exercises Yixing has given him. Creating light and energy bolts is easy to him now. At first it was a struggle, costing him a lot of energy, but now it’s a piece of cake. He’s shooting energy bolts at the trees for fun. It shakes the trees and makes the gathered snow drop with a loud _thwack_. For a while, it’s entertaining. It certainly takes his mind off Joonmyun.

He gets a little more daring – sending some sword-like slashes against the trunk of a pine tree, breaking its bark. Using his powers makes Jongdae feel a lot better, even if this poor tree is getting annihilated. After killing off most of the bark, Jongdae stops, fearing the tree might fall over and alert teachers. His eyes fall to his hands, which are glowing a deep red. It still leaves him a little breathless.

“That’s some good work.”

Jongdae jerks up in shock, turning to the source of the sound. A familiar figure stands a few meters away. Even in the dark Jongdae is quick to recognize him – that tall, pale posture and deep voice. It’s no other than Kris.

“What are you doing here?” Jongdae whispers.

 Kris takes a few steps forward, his pale complexion now illuminated by the glow of Jongdae’s hands and eyes.

“We’re here to help you against the attack from Luhan,” Kris answers. “Tell me Baekhyun’s room number. I have to sneak Tao and Sehun in.”

“You brought the mermaids along?”

“Yeah. My boyfriend is not exactly okay with me being apart from him so I had no choice. Plus, I figured maybe one of you knew a spell to make them have legs for a little while or something.”

Jongdae stares at him blankly, trying to take all this in. “You want to sneak in two mermaids plus yourself into a dorm meant for two?”

Kris shrugs.

With a sigh, Jongdae resigns to his fate. “Okay. Where are they?”

“Close by.”

Jongdae follows Kris through the snow as the vampire leads the way.

“How did you get in here?”

“Yixing,” Kris answers casually.

“Yixing is here too?”

“Yeah, but don’t worry about him. He won’t be staying in your room.”

Jongdae takes Kris’ answer for what it is and decides to no longer ask questions. He just wants to get inside.

Eventually two lying figures come into sight, their tails shimmering at the faint light coming from Jongdae’s hands.

“Kris!” Zitao yells happily, spreading his arms wide. Kris immediately takes Zitao into his arms, much to the pleasure of the mermaid. “It’s so cold out here!”

“I told you to wear a coat,” Kris scolds. Then Zitao gives him puppy eyes and Kris shakes his head in defeat. He presses a kiss to his boyfriend’s lips.

The gesture sparks envy in Jongdae but he ignores it, walking over to Sehun to pick the mermaid up. Despite being all bones, Sehun is still heavy. With a huff, Jongdae takes the first steps.

“I’m not _that_ heavy,” Sehun commentates as Jongdae struggles to carry him.

Jongdae gives him a pointed look, to which Sehun gasps in offense. The mermaid crosses his arms and ignores Jongdae for the rest of the walk.

Once they’re by the dorm entrance, Jongdae signals them to be quiet. He removes one hand from under Sehun and opens the door a tiny bit. Peeking in, Jongdae is relieved to find the teacher is still fast asleep. His hand slips back under Sehun and he opens the rest of the door with his foot. He tiptoes through the hallway, not risking anything – especially now that there’s cargo.

“Ow, Kris! Be careful!”

Jongdae whips his head back only to see Kris struggling to get past the teacher. Zitao’s tailfin is rubbing along the teacher’s face.

“Turn sideways!” Jongdae whispers angrily.

Kris does as he’s told, causing Zitao’s fin to hit the teacher in the face one last time. Jongdae cringes at the sight, but holds his anger in. The four of them make the rest of the trip in silence, the only sound hearable being the padding of their feet.

Jongdae opens the door and immediately drops Sehun on his bed. Once Kris and Zitao are inside, Jongdae quickly closes the door.

“You seem down,” Sehun observes after seeing Jongdae’s tired expression.

“Yeah, you didn’t look very happy to see me,” Kris chimes in.

“Could it be… boy trouble?” Zitao presses with an excited expression.

Jongdae’s lips thin into a line. “…yeah,” he admits.

“Did something happen between you and Joonmyun?”

Jongdae frowns. “H-how do you know it’s Joonmyun?”

Zitao gives him a deadpan look. “Are you serious? You guys are more obvious than Baekhyun and Kyungsoo.”

Not expecting that answer, Jongdae lowers his gaze to his lap.

“Are you not gonna tell us your troubles?” Zitao asks. “We’re here to help, you know.”

“You’re helping with the attack, not my love life.”

“Who says we can’t do both?”

“Agh, _fine_. I’ll tell you.” Jongdae sighs and crosses his arms. “Basically, Joonmyun and I had been bonding over our trip outside Jeolban. After Minseok turned out to be bad I felt the need to comfort him. When we got back to Jeolban, Joonmyun was feeling upset so I—”

The door bursts open.

“What the hell is going on in here?” Mr. Yang demands. “Kim Jongdae, you are in big trouble.”

 ---

Jongdae has his head lowered. The headmistress is glaring holes into him, completely ignoring the vampire and the mermaids in favor of scaring him.

“Jongdae… I know you are not a star student, but this kind of behavior is getting out of hand.”

“I’m sorry.”

“If it wasn’t for these troubled times, I would have suspended you for a month.”

Jongdae winces at that. He has gotten in trouble before, but never pushed it so far that it ended in suspension.

“Ma’am, if I may interrupt,” Kris politely interjects. “Jongdae had no intention of sneaking us in. We did it on our own. While Jongdae and his friends were away from Jeolban, they met us. We were told of the situation at Jeolban, and wanted to help when the time is right.”

Her face is stone. “Then why didn’t you come to me?” Her tone is ice.

Nervousness breaks across Kris’ usual strong expression. “W-well, we assumed we would probably be kicked out.”

“Correct.”

Jongdae’s head jerks up at that.

“I don’t need your help. Jeolban is fine on its own.”

“B-But—”

Zitao is interrupted by the door opening.

It’s Mr. Yang, but this time with Chanyeol, Yixing, and Jongin.

“Look who I found in Byun Baekhyun’s room,” he says with a grimace.

Headmistress Kang lets her cold eyes glide over the three figures. “Bring me the students involved.”

“Will do,” Mr. Yang answers before closing the door and leaving.

She sighs. “No words until Mr. Yang is back.”

The silence is agony. Jongdae can feel the headmistress’ gaze on him as he stares at the floor.

Once the doorknob finally rattles, Jongdae feels relief course through him, only to be back to anxiety as Joonmyun is on the doorstep. Baekhyun and Kyungsoo are there too with Mr. Yang standing behind them.

Joonmyun and Jongdae meet eyes for a second before looking away.

“Mind telling me what the hell is going on with you four? First you sneak around the school, then you disappear for a few days, and now you’re sneaking outsiders in?”

“We have a good reason,” Baekhyun tells her.

“Shut it, Byun. Your words don’t mean anything to me.”

“Ma’am, please don’t hold these students responsible for our acts,” Yixing says gently. “It was our doing, not theirs.”

“I don’t understand any of this. You sneak into my school to ‘help’ us? Secretively? It doesn’t make any sense. I want you removed from the school grounds _immediately_.”

“No, please, ma’am!” Yixing yells out. “ _Please_ , listen to me. I have important information regarding Luhan.”

The headmistress pops out of her strictness at the name. “What?”

“I know his plans for attacking Jeolban.”

Everyone gives Yixing a shocked look.

“The reason for those marks around the school was so he can destroy the ground around the property and trap you. Then he will set the place on fire and attack while none of you can escape!”

The sheer brutality of it all has the entire room gasping.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi yall, sorry for not updating. I had my final exams plus some personal stuff going on and i wasnt feeling the story much.  
> also sorry for returning after such a long time with such a short chapter, but ack it was always meant to be this way (because next chapter is hehehe)
> 
> anyway, i have loads of free time now so expect more updates!!!!


	14. XIV/XVI

The urgency of the situation snaps the headmistress out of her daze. She enlists the help of Yixing and his friends, beginning to draw up plans immediately. The police was alerted of these plans, but shrugged it off instead; as half-bloods always are. Nobody knows where Luhan and his henchmen are, leaving the students bulk their defenses and hope for the best.

Everyone’s doing their part; Yixing has paired up with the magic teachers to instruct the students, Joonmyun is helping Kris create a potion that would give Tao and Sehun legs, and Jongin is trying to give as much information on nymphs as possible.

Jongdae is waiting outside a classroom where Yixing is teaching, waiting for him to dismiss his class. This morning Yixing approached him shortly, asking Jongdae to come see him after class with a meaningful smile.

The door opens and students begin to fill the hall. Their chattering sounds excited and carefree, as if there’s no looming threat putting them in danger. As the crowd thins out and the last student exits, Jongdae walks in, unable to contain his curiosity.

“Yixing,” he calls to the wizard wiping the board. “You wanted to see me?”

Yixing turns to him with a bright smile. “Yes!” He exclaims. “Close the door.”

Jongdae does as he’s told, closing the door softly while his curiosity grows. Yixing is acting secretive.

“I found this book about dark magic which covers half-blood too, and I’ve come to learn some interesting things. First and foremost, you have been training your powers, right?” Yixing asks skeptically.

“I have. The things you taught my like energy bolts and shields are a lot easier now.”

“Good! Exactly as I expected. The thing about dark magic is that it grows fast, which is also why it tends to overwhelm most people, and where it earned its name.” Jongdae blinks in wonder. He’s never learned this in school. “Dark magic is just like regular magic, it just depends on how your mind reacts to it.”

“That’s interesting.”

“Sure is. Now because of this fast growth I want you to be in the front line during the attack.”

“Frontline?” Jongdae repeats in a panic. “We’re not some kind of army!”

“I know. But you’re strong. And I think your powers could be of good use.”

Jongdae bites his lip. “Are you sure? I don’t feel particularly powerful.”

“I’m going to train you privately. I’ve already informed the headmistress of this and she green-lighted it. There’s some techniques I want to try with you.”

“Techniques?”

“Have you ever heard of soul play?” Yixing asks with a secretive smile.

 ---

After exiting the session with Yixing, Jongdae feels stunned. He stands in the cold snow while gazing down at his hands. As he turns them over, they remain unremarkable; Jongdae vaguely thinks about how much power they could conjure. He stares at them for an unnerving amount of time before he realizes anyone passing by would be creeped out by the display.

Jongdae glances around and sees familiar faces practicing spells and combat. The protective barrier around the school twitches to a different color every now and then, signaling a new layer has been added. It’s sad how it has come to this. The government turned their backs to half-bloods, a fact Jongdae will never and could never forget.

Physical barrages are being built to serve some protection if the magical barriers fail. They are being made out of every possible material found on school grounds – wood, plastic, steel. Wizards put enhancing spells on the collected items while the other students have salvaged barbed wire from ruined fences that they put on them. Jongdae can't imagine the barriers lasting long, but having physical objects between them and the nymphs is a whole lot better than open field. A sudden flashback of the attack at Yixing’s cabin flashes through his mind and he breaks out in shivers.

Jongdae sighs and shoves his hands deep in his pockets. He wants this to be over. It’s unfair he and his fellow students have to endure this kind of treatment simply because of their blood. The fact that they’re fighting this alone makes it even worse.

With a drained mood, Jongdae shuffles back to his room, hands still in his pockets.

 ---

Jongdae is dozing off at his desk when he hears a soft knock on his door. The sky has darkened already, so who could it be? Baekhyun would just barge in, so certainly not him. It can’t be Kyungsoo either, seeing as the latter would never knock so gently. It might be Yixing or Kris or even Jongin. Jongdae answers with a “ _come in_ ” and is flabbergasted when he is met with a pajama-clad Joonmyun standing in the doorway.

“J-Joonmyun,” he gasps, standing up from his desk chair.

“Hey.” Joonmyun’s not looking at him.

“H-hey, what are you doing here at this hour?”

Joonmyun shrugs. “Baekhyun and Kyungsoo were making out and it began to cross a line I didn’t want to witness. Didn’t really have elsewhere to go.”

“Oh, um, well… you can stay here as long as you like.” Jongdae offers a smile and Joonmyun returns a weak one. “I have some cheese crackers. Want some?”

“…Sure.”

Damn, the air is awkward between them. Jongdae grabs the cheese crackers from his desk as Joonmyun makes himself at home on his bed. Last time they were on the bed… Jongdae bites his lip. Heat rises to his cheeks as he takes his place next to Joonmyun and gives him the crackers.

An uncomfortable silence lingers between them. The only sound in the room is Joonmyun chewing  cheese crackers, which adds to the level of awkward.

Jongdae clears his throat. “So how have you been?”

“…Not very good, I’ll admit,” Joonmyun answers softly, looking down. The pack of crackers has been laid to his side. “Minseok’s betrayal… it’s still hard for me. And now Jeolban is under attack too.”

“Yeah… I think Jeolban being in danger has taken a toll on a lot of people.”

“It just feels so hopeless, you know? I feel like us half-bloods will never get any respect.” Joonmyun sighs. “And this battle we’re going to have to fight is making me feel even worse. Especially with my lack of skills. I can’t do anything. I’m about as useful as a human!”

“That’s not true,” Jongdae says, attempting to reassure him. Hearing Joonmyun talk about himself like this is not right. Joonmyun is an amazing person, even if Jongdae sees him through rose-tinted glasses.

“It is, though! My magic is practically non-existent and I can’t defend myself – the only thing I know how to do is make stupid potions!” Joonmyun’s face contorts as tears roll down his cheeks. He buries his face in his hands and leans against Jongdae’s shoulder. “I don’t know what to do anymore, Jongdae!” He sobs.

Jongdae immediately wraps an arm around him. “Don’t worry, Joonmyun. None of us have a place in this battle because none of us were made for this battle. Some of our powers just happen to come in handy. Just because your abilities can’t be used in this battle doesn’t mean they’re useless. Doesn’t mean _you’re_ useless.”

Joonmyun sniffles softly.

“The strength of your powers doesn’t define you.”

Joonmyun looks up, straight into Jongdae’s eyes. His face is tear-stained and his eyes are red. Jongdae cups Joonmyun’s face with both hands and wipes a trailing tear away.

“You’re wonderful… and I want you to see that.”

Joonmyun’s eyes widen. “J-Jongdae…”

“Can I kiss you?”

A blush spreads over Joonmyun’s cheeks. “ _Yes.._.”

Jongdae connects their lips and fire instantly erupts in his chest. Joonmyun clings to Jongdae desperately, his hands tugging at his hair as Jongdae presses their lips as close as possible. It’s intense right from the start. The distance they’ve kept has only brought them closer in this moment. It’s no surprise when Joonmyun groans in arousal. Jongdae’s hands fall to Joonmyun’s waist and squeeze, subtly indicating his desire for more.

“Can we do more or is it too much?” Jongdae whispers as they break apart. Both of their breathing has turned into panting, and suddenly it’s insanely hot.

Joonmyun is already a mess – his eyes are half-lidded and his cheeks are red. His chest heaves up and down as air struggles to come to him but Jongdae thinks he’s never seen anything sexier.

“More. I want to do more,” Joonmyun gasps.

Jongdae feels his cock spring to life.

“I’m sorry about running out on you last time. I don’t know what came over me.”

“You have nothing to be sorry for,” Jongdae tells him with a shake of his head. “If you want to stop just tell me.”

“I will. But let’s kiss more for now.”

Jongdae can’t help a grin, and neither can Joonmyun. Their lips meet in the middle again, this time in a rather light-hearted kiss. It only takes a few seconds for it to become heated, though. Joonmyun opens his mouth to Jongdae, receiving his tongue with a delicate moan. The kiss has Jongdae’s body tingling and the blood rushing to his groin. His erection is now visibly straining against the front of his sweatpants.

Joonmyun slowly lets himself fall back on the bed, never letting their lips disconnect. His arms are looped around Jongdae’s neck, and he holds him closer as the heat spreads. He spreads his legs for Jongdae to crawl in between. The gesture has a shivering effect on Jongdae.

“J-Jongdae,” he moans. “ _I’m so hard_.”

Jongdae lays his groin atop Joonmyun and feels it. Both of them are equally as hard.

“Do something about it,” Joonmyun begs.

Jongdae undresses himself first before pulling Joonmyun’s pajama pants down, surprised to be immediately met with his cock. No boxers. _Fuck_ , that’s hot. He slides the pants off and chucks it to the floor, immediately getting back to undressing the rest of Joonmyun. After getting Joonmyun’s shirt off, Jongdae eats up the sight. Joonmyun looks so delectable in the nude. Jongdae fights the desire to devour him on the spot.

Instead, he takes it slow. He lowers his lips to Joonmyun’s once more before moving downwards. His lips slide past his neck with the occasional peck before stopping at his collarbone to give it a lick. Joonmyun makes a soft sound. Jongdae shivers. _God,_ Joonmyun is sexy. His lips trail further down, over the expanse of Joonmyun’s chest before finally stopping at his nipple.

He softly nips at it before taking it into his mouth and swirling his tongue against the nub. Joonmyun keens above him, his fingers sliding through Jongdae’s hair. Jongdae brings his hand up and twirls the other nipple between his fingers.

“F-fuck.” He hears Joonmyun curse. Shocked, Jongdae looks up. Joonmyun never curses. The latter has his hand clasped over his lips, his expression embarrassed.

“Joonmyun—”

“Don’t say anything,” Joonmyun whispers commandingly. “Just—just go on.”

Jongdae obeys, his lips upon Joonmyun’s skin once again. This time he moves lower, kissing all the way to his hip. He ignores Joonmyun’s erection in favor of pressing his lips against his thighs. His hand dances downwards, leaving feathery touches on Joonmyun’s skin before stopping at the base of his cock. Joonmyun is staring into his eyes, a dark and lustful expression on his features. It’s a sign for _yes_. Jongdae wraps his fingers around the hard member and teases the tip with his thumb. It elicits a small but erotic sound from Joonmyun.

Jongdae strokes Joonmyun slowly. It earns him soft keens and beautiful expressions. Joonmyun’s thighs tremble with every jerk of his wrist. The sight of him so lost is simply a feast for his eyes, but Jongdae knows they both want more.

“Can you spread your legs for me?” Jongdae asks as he gets off Joonmyun for a second to fetch the lube. With a blush spreading across his cheeks, Joonmyun nods, grabbing his thighs and spreading his legs apart. Jongdae climbs back over him, pressing a small kiss on his lips. “Tell me if it hurts, okay?” Joonmyun nods once, looking a tad bit nervous.

Jongdae slowly lowers his slicked fingers, tracing between Joonmyun’s butt cheeks until he finds his entrance. The first finger is pushed in with ease; Joonmyun doesn’t even tense up. It doesn’t take long for Joonmyun to express his desire for a second finger. Once two fingers are past his rim, Joonmyun starts feeling good. His previous softer moans begin rising in octaves and volume, producing a sound that’s like music to Jongdae’s ears.

It’s when Jongdae hits his prostate that Joonmyun begins begging for a third finger. His thighs start shaking, clamping around Jongdae’s waist. Strings of Jongdae’s name mixed in with moans leave his lips.

“Y-you can p-put a third in,” Joonmyun rasps. “ _Please_ put a th-third in.”

Jongdae instantly obeys, eager to please Joonmyun more. The third finger has Joonmyun gasping. A whine falls from his lips as his fingers grasp at the sheets, the pleasure becoming too much. Seeing Joonmyun blissed like this has Jongdae feeling hot under his skin. The urge to make Joonmyun feel good has him thrusting his fingers harder and faster, right on his prostate.

“Can I put it in?” Jongdae asks in a whisper.

“ _…Yes.”_

Jongdae pulls his fingers out, earning a small whine from Joonmyun. Their gazes meet – Joonmyun’s is glassy; Jongdae’s is dark with desire. Jongdae reaches down for a kiss, their lips molding together while Jongdae slicks up his cock. Some more lube is spread around Joonmyun’s hole, just to be sure, before Jongdae guides his cock to Joonmyun’s entrance.

As Jongdae pushes in, Joonmyun gasps, hands shooting up to hold on to Jongdae’s arms. Their foreheads are pressed together when Jongdae is fully inside, both of them panting. Joonmyun squeezes tightly around his cock, creating a sensation beyond anything Jongdae has ever known. Jongdae moves just a tiny bit and he immediately has Joonmyun whining in his ear.

“J-Jongdae,” he whispers. “ _Please fuck me_.”

Despite being in utter disbelief over Joonmyun saying those words, Jongdae groans, very much turned on. All the self-restraint he was holding snaps. He pulls out until only the tip is left inside before slamming right back in. The sheer force has Joonmyun clawing at his back and a broken moan spilling from his lips.

Not holding back anymore, Jongdae begins thrusting into him at a brutal pace, hitting his prostate dead on each and every time. The heat, sight and touch of Joonmyun are too delectable.

If Joonmyun was a mess already, it’s nothing compared to this. His entire body is drenched in sweat, gleaming under the lights. With every thrust his cock twitches, pre-come having already leaked from the tip onto his stomach. The sounds that leave his lips are broken and hoarse, but Jongdae has never heard anything sexier in his life.

The tight heat around his cock has Jongdae chasing his orgasm faster and faster with each thrust. To see Joonmyun likes this drives him ever further, knowing he wants Joonmyun to come too. As he feels his orgasm approaching rapidly, he quickly wraps a hand around Joonmyun’s cock, jerking him off while fucking into him.

Just a few tugs and Joonmyun is already gone. A moan close to a scream echoes throughout the room as Joonmyun orgasms. His cum pools on his stomach, some of it dripping off his sides. His breathing fails to return to normal and he still sounds small whines while doing so.

Jongdae’s own orgasm hits him seconds after. Joonmyun is still clenched around him when he comes, making it even more intense. He sees white for a split second, all the heat in his cock pushing a grunt out from his chest. His come spills inside Joonmyun, causing the latter to squirm.

With a sigh of satisfaction, Jongdae pulls out and drops down next to Joonmyun. For a minute or two it’s just them catching their breath while basking in the post-orgasm glow.

Joonmyun suddenly cuddles up to Jongdae’s shoulder. “That was amazing,” he comments softly.

Jongdae can’t help a smile. “It was.”

Their gazes meet, and suddenly there is a serious air between them.

“I’m in love with you,” Jongdae blurts.

“I’ve noticed…” Joonmyun chuckles while a blush spreads across his cheeks. “I’m in love with you too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello dear readers!!! (... if anyone is still here)  
> I apologize for leaving this fic untouched for like 3 months so I'm sorry. i had a lot of things going on in my personal life and writing this fic has become a bit of a chore   
> i finished this update like two weeks ago but my beta suddenly disappeared D: so thank you my friend shel for making time to beta this despite not even having read the fic LOL
> 
> anyway, thank you to those who are still reading this fic! i promise i wont abandon it! and thank you for subbing, leaving kudos and commenting!


	15. XV/XVI

“Soul play is a powerful thing. It is essentially playing with someone’s life. It is a kind of magic that is not to be trifled with or else it could go horribly wrong.” 

The words coming out of Yixing’s mouth are no match for what he displays in his hands. There is a wasp in a glass bowl in front of him. At first the wasp was walking around, antennas and lower body twitching, but now it is completely still. With a spiraling movement of his wrist, a buzzing yellow energy came out of the wasp’s head, now dancing on Yixing’s fingertips. 

“This is the soul of the wasp. Its entire being is at my fingertips. Its memories, its habits, its  _ life _ .” Jongdae stares in amazement. “I could waft it away like a cloud of perfume and end this wasp’s consciousness right now. It would leave its body intact, organs and legs still working, but no line of thought. No thinking. No being. Just a body without a mind.”

That’s a whole lot of power. Jongdae gulps.

“I won’t do it,” Yixing reassures. His wrist spirals again and the soul retreats back into the wasp’s body. Life comes back into its form and the bug crawls around in the bowl once again. “I’m showing you this because I want you to know that this kind of magic is no joke.”

“I’m taking it seriously.”

“Good.” Yixing nods. “I taught myself this technique. Practiced days on end on the fleas in Chanyeol’s fur. I tried it with flies, moths, but drew the line at mice. I realized I was becoming too obsessed with the ability and immediately stopped. This magic originates from demons. It would have taken me over had I not stopped myself. You, on the other hand, will not be lured in by its powers. You are already a demon.” 

“But the headmistress said I couldn’t develop my demon powers because I could be consumed by them. How do you explain that?”

“People are afraid of what they don’t know. Was your father a bad man?”

Jongdae shakes his head. “Not at all. He was just like any father.”

“There’s your answer. People hear the word demon and it freaks them out. The headmistress probably did it as a precaution.”

It makes sense. 

“Back to soul play. Once you hold a soul in your hands, you can actually preserve it.” Yixing grabs a test tube and a cork from the drawer. Then he once again spirals his wrist and the soul returns to his fingertips. He gently guides the soul into the test tube and seals it tightly. “And that’s how you collect a soul.” 

Slightly confused, Jongdae scratches his head. “Why do I need to learn this?” 

“To disable Luhan, of course,” Yixing tells him as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world.

Jongdae’s eyes widen. “E-excuse me?” 

“I told you I wanted you on the frontline. If anyone is capable of handling this it’s you. Your powers are exactly what we need to defeat them. This school is full of people who have earthly powers – powers that are just like the nymphs’. But you…  _ you _ have the power of the underworld. A power that is not within the laws of nature. A power they don’t know.” 

“What do you mean they don’t know? Minseok himself said I caught Luhan’s eye.”

“They know you’re a demon. But they also know that you’re a half-blood. And nymphs… they see you as weak. Luhan doesn’t think you can do it. He won’t even expect it.”

Jongdae bites his lip. “What if I fail?”

“You won’t. Trust me. Now focus your attention on the task at hand, which is retrieving this wasp’s soul.”

Hesitantly, Jongdae stretches out his arm, his fingers nearly touching the wasp.

“Take a deep breath and close your eyes. Focus on its energy. Feel the life in its legs, the beat in its heart – the blood in its veins.” 

Jongdae does exactly as instructed and immediately feels a buzz on the tips of his fingers. He can see the wasp with his eyes closed – can see the way it’s washing its antennas with its front legs. He sees everything with just his fingertips.

“Very good. Now make a circular motion with your wrist to pull its soul out.”

Jongdae opens his eyes and recreates the movement he saw Yixing do earlier. The golden soul slowly drifts to his fingertips. Life is in his hand. Jongdae can barely believe it as he gazes at the miracle. An incredibly amount of energy radiates of the tiny soul. It overwhelms Jongdae quite a bit and he has to take a deep breath.

“Now to return it, do the exact same thing, but focus on trying to feel your own soul as the only one in your body. Right now there are two souls within you. Push the wasp’s out.”

Nodding, Jongdae closes his eyes again and focuses on himself. His ow thoughts, his own heartbeat, his own limbs. The buzzing of the wasp’s soul becomes fainter and fainter, eventually fading into nothing with just a twist of his wrist. It gives him a feeling of immense power. After seeing the wasp move again, he takes a step back and gives Yixing a jaw-slacked look.

“Incredible, isn’t it?”

“I’ve never felt so powerful,” Jongdae whispers. “So much energy from such a tiny little wasp…”

“Now imagine how you’ll feel when you have the soul of the most powerful nymph in your fingertips.”

Jongdae can’t even begin to imagine. “Let’s just practice on bugs for now.” 

Yixing laughs at that. “Sure thing.”

\---

After the session with Yixing, Jongdae is completely overwhelmed, but so overwhelmed he almost feels…  _ hollow _ . Seeing his boyfriend will surely cheer him up.  _ Boyfriend _ . Jongdae grins to himself at the thought. A short walk through the snowy school grounds has Jongdae entering the dorm and immediately heading in the direction of Joonmyun’s room.

Jongdae raps his knuckles softly three times. Joonmyun’s soft voice tells him to come in not a second later and Jongdae quickly enters the room. As soon as he realizes his boyfriend is alone in the room and no Kyungsoo or Baekhyun are around, Jongdae jumps on him from where he’s sitting on the bed. Joonmyun squeals but before he can utter another words, Jongdae connects their lips. Joonmyun immediately responds, their lips slowly molding together. 

After a minute of soft kissing, Jongdae pulls back. His face is red, but so is Joonmyun’s. A smile makes it way to his lips. 

“Good afternoon,” he greets happily. 

Joonmyun smiles back at him before lacing their fingers together. “How was the session with Yixing?”

“It was… incredible. I held a soul on my fingertips. It made me feel so strong. But also small. I can’t really explain it.” Jongdae gives up trying to retell the experience in words and rolls his attention to his boyfriend. “Did you do anything interesting?”

Joonmyun’s face lights up. “I did actually! I finally succeeded in temporarily giving Sehun and Zitao legs! Right now the potion only gives them five minutes, but lengthening the time frame shouldn’t be a problem.” 

“That’s amazing! I’m so proud of you.” Jongdae cups Joonmyun’s cheeks and presses a light kiss on his forehead. 

A shy smile makes its way onto Joonmyun’s lips and Jongdae can’t resist kissing him on the lips. It takes but ten seconds of soft kissing for it to turn heated. Jongdae’s tongue slips into Joonmyun’s cavern and it causes both of them to let out soft moans. Joonmyun’s hands slide up to Jongdae’s shoulders as he’s pressed into the mattress, spreading his legs to make way for Jongdae’s body.

“Can we?” Jongdae whispers

Joonmyun nods, and Jongdae’s lips are back on his again. Soon his hands begin roaming under Joonmyun’s shirt, his fingertips gliding over the soft planes of his stomach. Once one of his fingers brush past Joonmyun’s nipple, the latter gasps softly. 

Then the entire mood is shattered by an out-of-breath Baekhyun storming into the room.

“They’re here! The nymphs are here!” He yells, fear covering every inch of his expression.

\---

There is an eerie silence. The calm before the storm. 

Jongdae takes a deep breath while staring at the dark night sky. Snow slowly falls all around them but he detects smoke in the air. It means the plans with the markings is succeeding despite the school’s attempts at protecting it with barriers. Soon the ground around them will disappear, leaving them trapped on school grounds while fire consumes them.

Jongdae shuts his eyes. No. He will not let that happen. This is the only place where he truly feels welcomed, where he truly feels  _ home _ . He’d rather die than let Jeolban disappear.

\---

A thick, tense silence. Jongdae’s fists are clenched. His friends are around him, their usual gleeful faces grimed by frowns. There’s fear, there’s anger, there’s sadness. Teachers try their best to keep the force fields going, but more and more tiny zaps of magic keep making it through. 

With bated breath, Jongdae watches shadows move beyond the lights of the force fields, expecting their presences to burst through the barriers any time. The silence before the storm is frightening. Knowing there is danger lurking - ready to destroy - sets off a panic inside Jongdae’s body. His blood is flowing madly, his heartbeat pounding in his ears, his lungs a little tight. He tries not to let it show. His feelings are not of importance right now. He needs to protect Jeolban.

Smoke begins to rise like pillars. Jongdae knows what this means. He glances around the area and finds five exact spots to be catching fire. The five markings. Once the fire reaches a certain height, it starts spreading off to the sides, eventually forming a circle around the compound. Once the circle is fully connected by the fire, a deep red light emerges from the markings, lighting up the area in a bloody glow. 

Suspicious looks are thrown his way and Jongdae knows his eyes must be glowing. He wants to shut them, yet can’t. Suddenly there’s a hand grabbing his and Jongdae is fine again, because Joonmyun is next to him. They might be in grave danger but Jongdae finds comfort in their closeness. 

“We can do it,” Joonmyun whispers.

Jongdae has no time to reply. A figure comes bursting through the force field. The ground cracks on impact, dust whirling up into the air. The figure stands up straight and dusts himself off, his gaze falling over the group in front of him.

Luhan.

Jongdae would recognize that sculpted, pale face anywhere. After that night in the alley with Kyungsoo and Baekhyun, Jongdae knew he could never erase that face from his memory. How it was fired up with hatred. 

Apparently feeling his glare, Luhan turns his eyes towards Jongdae, his lips curving up at the sight.

“The demon boy… interesting how you react to these marks,” Luhan observes with a mirk. “You know, Minseok wanted to recruit you. Said you’d be useful. I smacked him over the head of course. A half blood in my army is like a wolf among sheep. Now that I see you glowing like this, however, I do find myself to be quite interested.”

“Fuck off,” Jongdae spits. “I’m not joining your hatred, not in a million years.”

Luhan laughs, throwing his head back. “Like I’d give you an option. I was just thinking of making you my little demon slave.” 

Jongdae feels the grip on his hand tighten. 

“Anyhow, I’ll decide what to do afterwards.” A murderous glint appears in Luhan’s eyes. The smirk still hanging on his lips makes for a spine-chilling expression. “For now… enjoy your demise.” 

With a fist swinging upwards, a large clump of dirt soars through the air before crashing right behind the group. The moment the dirt touches the ground, tons of nymphs come flying through the force fields, ripping them apart like paper. They land with cynical expressions, magic zapping from their ready hands.

The attack is immediate. The crowd of half-bloods and nymphs are thrown into chaos in a matter of seconds. Shocks of magic light up the glade in a vast palette of colors, causing Jongdae to lose focus at a very critical moment. The few seconds he spends looking for his disappeared friends and boyfriend allows Luhan to manipulate the smoke from the fires, turning it into a toxic gas that has most of the half-bloods fainting within a minute. 

Jongdae is one of the few who catches on quick, covering his mouth with his jacket. The gas may not enter his mouth anymore, but its thickness blankets the entire area in a deep blackness. No person is in sight, leaving Jongdae to count on his ears, which are filled with loud explosions and sharp cries. A nearby shout pulls Jongdae out of his hesitance and he automatically moves his body towards the source of the sound. 

Between the smoke he finds Kyungsoo, mouth uncovered as he launches a nymph into the air with nothing but his fist. Two figures are close to him, fighting off nymphs as well. Jongdae nearly stills in shock when he recognizes Sehun and Zitao. Their legged forms are tall and skinny, but it takes less than a second for Jongdae to see that they are incredibly powerful. Their mouths are uncovered, and when Jongdae looks closely he can see they are manipulating the clouds of smoke around them. The dark gassy clouds are turned into water which splashes at their feet, and with that water they conjure powerful attacks against the nymphs. 

Jongdae runs over to them and is met with an immensely relieved Kyungsoo.

“We need you stop Luhan as soon as possible. Once he’s gone we will hold much more power!”

Jongdae swallows. He knows his responsibilities. But that doesn’t mean he’s not afraid of them. Still, he bites his fear back.

“I have an idea.” He turns to the previously fish-tailed people. “Sehun and Zitao, do you think you could purify the clouds in the entire area?”

Zitao and Sehun share a look before nodding at Jongdae. “We can, but it’ll take all of our power for sure.”

“Kyungsoo will protect you,” Jongdae tells them.

Kyungsoo nods in reassurance, flexing his upper body muscles to emphasize his protective abilities. The enhanced abilities that Kyungsoo received from his vampire bloodline sure do come in handy. 

Zitao and Sehun nod before getting on their knees. Closing their eyes, they begin to chant a spell which slowly clears the air of smoke but also calls for a massive downpour. 

Jongdae removes the fabric and breathes the clear air, his eyes quickly searching for any familiar figures. He immediately sees the familiar figure of Joonmyun, his frail body standing opposite of a very powerful wizard.  _ Minseok _ . Knowing Kyungsoo will be able to handle protecting Zitao and Sehun, he rushes over to his boyfriend, leaving his friend behind.

“Is this going to be revenge, Joonmyun?” Minseok asks with a smirk. 

“Not Revenge. Avenge. I’m going to avenge myself, whether you like it or not.”

“Oh, I think I’ll like it,” Minseok replies with a grin. “A half-blood wizard with no power against me? A necromancer of the strongest kind? That’s pitting a rabbit and a lion against each other. Laughable.”

Joonmyun fires a sizzling orb at Minseok out of nowhere, surprising the necromancer.

“So you’ve learned a new trick? Did that demon boyfriend of yours teach you?”

Joonmyun replies with another magic attack, launching three electric balls at the necromancer with a battle cry. Jongdae’s eyes fall on the misty cloud gathering in Minseok’s hand, covering his palm in a grey haze. Gasping, Jongdae dashes to Joonmyun – he knows that trick and it’s not pretty.

“You know, Joonmyun. I admire your determination,” Minseok tells him as he watches Jongdae run to the wizard. “But you’re not worth it. Not by a long shot.”

Jongdae is just able to reach Joonmyun before Minseok releases the spell – an electric explosion followed by a thick fog. He wraps his arms around his boyfriend, hoping he hasn’t gotten hurt. The fog rolls out and Minseok has disappeared. 

Lips pulled into a firm line, Jongdae turns back to his boyfriend. “Are you okay?”

Joonmyun looks past him, to the place where Minseok stood, and fury twists his features. “He’s a coward. All this talk about me being weak but he runs the moment I shoot something at him.”

“We’ll get him,” Jongdae reassures, pressing a swift kiss on Joonmyun’s cheek.

“Jongdae!” A call comes from behind. It’s Baekhyun, eyes panicky. When he comes to a halt in front of Jongdae, there’s blood in sight. A deep gash runs from his jaw to collarbone, oozing quite a bit of blood. Many scales have been torn away, the previously shimmery green now stained with deep maroon.

“What happened? Are you okay?” Jongdae asks worriedly. Seeing his friends hurt is difficult. Especially Baekhyun – he’s already been hurt too many times in his life.

“It’s nothing, a nymph just got too close to me.” Baekhyun brushes it off.

“I can make you a scale-repairing potion once this is over,” Joonmyun offers. 

“Thank you, I appreciate that. But right now, you have to come with me. I found Luhan and I have a plan.”

\---

“I would’ve expected you to be dead by now, demon boy,” Luhan remarks with a smirk as Jongdae, Joonmyun and Baekhyun stand in the middle of a small glade. Wind and snow and smoke whips them in their faces, but none of them are phased by it. The stakes are too high to be distracted by environmental factors. “I’m impressed. I’ll give you an honorable last fight before you die.”

“I’m not dying today,” Jongdae spits back, balling his fists. “The moment I get my hands on you will be the last time blood is shed on this property.”

Luhan raises an eyebrow. “We’ll see about that. I am the most powerful nymph of all. One from the purest of bloodlines and the most blessed to have ever lived. I have many powers you don’t know of.”

“So do I,” Jongdae retorts. His soul play will be his secret weapon.  

“Do you know how I came to be the most powerful nymph of all, demon boy?” Luhan asks, cleaning the dirt from under his nails. “I absorbed my parents’ powers when they died at the hands of a half-blood.”

Jongdae frowns. So his hatred for half-bloods is not the natural hate nymphs have for them.

“The death of my parents evoked a rage in me. A rage that simmers inside of me all at times. The only time I feel relieved of it is when I hurt those who hurt me. The half-bloods.” Luhan’s expression is dark, no madness or smugness, just pure, unfiltered hate. The rage he spoke of is apparent in his eyes. It’s a fire, tall and hot, one that you can’t just put out. Such an intense emotion has fear creeping over Jongdae’s body in the form of shivers, but he suppresses it, knowing that this is not the time to cower. 

“I’m sorry your parents died at the hands of a half-blood but we don’t need to take responsibility for that. Your hate is unnecessary.”

“I feel it nonetheless,” Luhan says with a hard edge to his tone. “And you’re going to feel it too.”

Then a powerful burst shakes the ground beneath their feet. Jongdae loses his balance and hears heavy thuds behind him as well. Among the fallen, Baekhyun rises, charging to Luhan with his hand stretched outwards. He comes to a halt a few meters in front of him and proceeds to squeeze his hand into a fist. Luhan puts his hands over his throat and begins choking, face slowly turning red. Baekhyun is using his constriction powers to take the air away from Luhan, immobilizing him completely. 

“Jongdae, get him!” Baekhyun shouts at the top of his lungs as he swiftly glances back at his friend. 

Jongdae has already risen to his feet and prepares himself to concentrate on his soul powers. This is the first time he’ll be using them on such a large target, and the first time it’ll be under immense pressure too. He needs to do it fast, otherwise they’ll be in trouble.

But he’s not fast enough. 

Before Jongdae can even get any closer to Luhan, he breaks free of the constriction and lunges at Baekhyun, punching him in the face with a brutal swing. Baekhyun flies back as he’s knocked unconscious. Joonmyun and Jongdae both gasp, but have no time to rush to their friend as Luhan turns to them. Jongdae quickly covers Joonmyun with his body in protection, not wanting any hurt to come to his precious boyfriend. 

“You need to make a force field, Joonmyun. You can do that, right?” Jongdae softly asks his boyfriend, who nods in return. “And the paralyzing attack you’ve been practicing… will you be able to do that as well?”

Joonmyun bites his lip. “I-I don’t know… It hasn’t succeeded a lot of times.”

“I believe in you,” Jongdae says before pressing a kiss to his lips. “Now generate a force field before Luhan kills us.” 

Joonmyun nods with a soft blush on his cheeks. He then takes a step back and puts his hand to the floor, murmuring words as a deep red force field expands itself around the two of them.

“Oh? The lovebirds are making a force field? I see Minseok’s dumbass isn’t so useless after all.” Joonmyun flinches at the words coming from Luhan’s mouth but makes no move to stop. While Jongdae is fuming in anger, he tries not to let himself get distracted as he prepares his soul powers.

When the force field is fully activated, Jongdae takes it from Joonmyun so he can perform his paralyzing attack. The humming of the force field thrums through Jongdae’s entire body, but he cannot let it distract him. He focuses on feeling Luhan’s presence even from this wide distance as the latter circles around the force field. The sound his footsteps make, the flowing of his blood, the way his eyes are trained on the two of them.

Luhan has a smirk on his face as he and Joonmyun perform a stare-off. Joonmyun, on the other hand, is immensely focused – brow furrowed as he looks for the perfect moment to strike.

Luhan makes a mistake. His eyes twitch towards Jongdae for a split second when he moves his hand in a circular motion. This mistake becomes fatal.

Joonmyun strikes him with bright red lighting, immediately paralyzing his entire body. Unfortunately, the lighting strikes Joonmyun himself too, causing him to cry out and fall into the cold snow. Jongdae gasps and releases the force field, causing it to disappear. He crouches by his boyfriend, who is still conscious but clearly in pain. His face is contorted and full of harsh lines. 

“G-get him, Jongdae. I’ll be fine. I’m not that h— _ ugh _ —hurt,” Joonmyun tells him, even though he’s clearly lying.

Jongdae wants to make sure he and Baekhyun are okay but he can’t — this is his only chance. And if he misses it and the paralysis wears off, Luhan could do even greater damage. 

Reluctantly, he makes his way over to Luhan, who is still on the floor. There’s fire in his eyes but his face is vacant of it as he is unable to move a single muscle. Jongdae glares back as he kneels in front of him.

“This is your own doing,” Jongdae tells him before closing his eyes. He hovers his hand closely over Luhan’s face and focuses on his energy. The blood in Luhan’s veins is pumping madly, as if this is the only place his anger can flow. The cold snow seeping through Luhan’s clothes causes Jongdae to shiver. Every feeling in Luhan’s body is on Jongdae’s fingertips, and spreads throughout his entire body as he makes the circular motion with his wrist to pull it out of Luhan’s body. The nearly black soul slowly drifts up to his fingers, but Jongdae notices some resistance. Luckily, Luhan’s paralyzed state stands no chance against him.

The weight of Luhan’s soul in his own body is crushing. He’s barely able to breathe. Luhan’s soul is heavy with hatred, filled to the brim with horrifying thoughts and feelings. There’s also hurt, under layers and layers of disgust and revulsion, but Jongdae doesn’t allow himself to feel empathy. Luhan is pure evil and his campaign of terror must be ended. 

With much effort, Jongdae shakes the test tubes out of his jacket and lets them fall into the icy snow. It’s a miracle only two have cracks in them. To be sure, he brought plenty, and now it’s paying off. He grabs one and uncorks it. He then focuses on pushing Luhan’s soul out again, but it’s not easy. Luhan’s soul is strong. It feels it has gotten a new host and has noticed this host is trying to get rid of it as well. Grunting and shivering, Jongdae tries to focus on making his own soul the dominant one – focusing on his own thoughts, his own blood flowing through his veins, his own cold knees in the snow. 

With a very shaky movement of the wrist, the soul slowly begins to leave his body, the black energy transferring into the test tube little by little. The hateful thoughts and heavy feelings slowly begin to lessen. The last of the soul drifts into the test tube and Jongdae feels ten pounds lighter. He quickly corks it and heaves a deep sigh of relief before falling back into the snow. 

It’s over. It’s done. 

Luhan’s soul is locked up and he can no longer do any damage. Jongdae lets his eyes drift up to the dark sky and focuses on the falling snowflakes, feeling them drop on his face and slowly melt in the warmth. It doesn’t feel real but it very much is.

“Come closer!” A voice shouts.

Jongdae sits up in shock as he recognizes Joonmyun’s voice. He quickly looks over at his boyfriend and sees him standing in the snow across Minseok. He’s not in great shape after taking a hit from his own attack, nearly losing balance, but his eyes are fierce.

Jongdae fights the urge to run over there and protect his boyfriend, knowing Joonmyun needs the closure. He can always jump in if Joonmyun is in danger. Joonmyun is very capable, though, and he has certainly proven that today.

“Come on! Come closer! Let’s finish what we started. Or are you afraid?” 

“What  _ we _ started?” Minseok laughs. “ _ I  _ started it. And now  _ I’m _ going to finish it.”

A blast of energy is immediately sent Joonmyun’s way, striking fear into Jongdae’s heart. Thankfully, Joonmyun avoids it with ease and does something entirely unexpected next: he jumps at Minseok, lifts him up by the collar of his shirt, and punches him on the jaw with all of his strength. Jongdae gapes at his usually calm and composed boyfriend, in utter shock at this display of power. 

Minseok is visibly shaken by the hit, his eyes have gone half-lidded while spitting out a few teeth. 

“B-bastard,” he stutters.

Joonmyun doesn’t react to the words and punches him again, this time right in the face. Again. And again. And again. And again until Minseok is unconscious on the forest floor, his deep red blood staining the snow in a striking contrast. Joonmyun is breathing heavily for a while.

“Joonmyun…” Jongdae calls softly. 

Joonmyun looks over at him with glassy eyes. “Is it done?”

“I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t,” Jongdae replies in a snarky manner. 

Relief spreads across Joonmyun’s face and he sprints over to his boyfriend. Jongdae finds Joonmyun’s body on top of his and their lips pressed together. 

“You did it,” Joonmyun whispers in between kisses. “You saved Jeolban.”

“Not just me, everyone helped. You did too. You did great. I’m proud of you.” 

They kiss for many minutes, not keeping track of time. Tears of relief and happiness flow down both their cheeks, mingling together as they lock lips over and over again. 

Eventually they break apart.

“Let’s check upon Baekhyun. He won’t die in the snow because of his cold blood but I don’t think he should be lying there like that.”

Joonmyun nods in agreement and gets up, pulling Jongdae with him. Both of them glance at Luhan’s lifeless body a few meters away but neither of them comments on it. 

“What are you going to do with his soul?” Joonmyun asks.

“Hand it over to the police when they come get him.” 

“How do you know the police is going to come? They refused to help us before.”

“They refused us because they didn’t believe we were in danger. Now we’ve gotten attacked; they have to take us seriously.” 

Joonmyun nods his head but still looks a little skeptical. 

Jongdae crouches by Baekhyun’s body. He knows he’s still breathing since he saw his chest rising and falling earlier, but checks his body for any further injuries. The wounds on his body were already there. What’s really worrying is his prolonged state of unconsciousness. 

“We’ll take him to the infirmary,” Jongdae says. 

Together they lift Baekhyun up, carrying him out of the glade and back to the school.

\---

The police has finally taken them seriously and come to their aid. Jeolban is currently inaccessible due to research from the police. Evidence is being gathered, including Luhan’s soul and body, which certainly gave the police a shock when both were collected. Every person present at the attack has given their story and many nymphs have been taken into custody. 

The fight is over. The world can go back to the way it was. With a little change, maybe.

Thankfully, there are no casualties. But many are severely injured. Including Baekhyun. Kyungsoo has not left his bedside since Baekhyun got admitted to the hospital. The nurse explained it’s some kind of internal damage that’ll take quite some time to heal. 

Sehun has also gotten injured, much to the worry of Zitao and Kris. The poor guy ended up with some kind of lung poisoning due to the toxic smoke Luhan created. Many others are in the same condition because of that vile move. The doctors say recovery is likely but it just takes time. It has put many at ease but no one will forget the events of that night.

Jongdae stands close to the closed school gates with Joonmyun by his side. They watch the property as every inch of it is being inspected by research teams. Jongdae grabs Joonmyun’s hand.

“I hope we get to be students again soon,” Jongdae says softly. He knows Joonmyun wants to tell him that it’s not going to happen in the very near future, he can tell by the look Joonmyun’s giving him even though he can only see him in the corner of his eye. But he doesn’t want to hear that, and Joonmyun knows that too.

So instead of being a downer, he says a simple, soft “ _ me too _ ” and turns his gaze back to the school. His hand squeezes him a little tighter, and Jongdae squeezes back.

It’s truly over.

They don’t have to fight anymore.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry its been so long yall :(( i just have this thing where i realize a fic is bad and it makes me not wanna write it anymore im sorry...  
> do look forward to the final chapter tho!! itll have a... nice surprise *wink wink*
> 
> thank you for your support!!! (... if someone is still reading this LOL)


	16. XVI/XVI + Bonus

Jongdae wakes up in the comforts of his dorm room. The bed opposite to his is empty. Jongdae has grown used to it. Since Baekhyun has left the hospital, Kyungsoo made him sleep in his room. Although it’s against the rules, the teachers turn a blind eye to it. Jongdae is grateful for it – and not just because it means Joonmyun often sleeps here – he’s grateful because after such a tough experience, Baekhyun and Kyungsoo really need each other.

After going through his morning routine, Jongdae meets up with Baekhyun, and Joonmyun in the hallway. He presses a kiss to his boyfriend’s lips before snaking an arm around his waist.

“How are you feeling today?” Jongdae asks Baekhyun, who seems to be doing better every day. His face is no longer ghastly pale and many wounds have healed. There are some gashes along his body and a bandage on his neck, but he looks a lot better than before.

“Pretty good. Don’t really feel like going to class but it beats lying in bed all day.”

“You’ll regret saying that by the end of the day. We have Mrs. Yun for two hours.”

Baekhyun groans loudly. “I regret saying it already,” he retorts, causing the three of them to burst into laughter.

Once they open the door leading outside, cold air blows in their faces. Jongdae immediately buries himself in his scarf and grips Joonmyun tighter, not wanting his boyfriend to feel cold. The world around them is still blanketed in snow and the temperatures remain harsh, but at least the sun is shining today.

Once they arrive at the front door of the main building, a group of people carrying cameras, notepads, and microphones come running up to them. Jongdae tenses, the grip on his boyfriend’s hand tightening.

“Mr. Kim, how do you feel about defeating Luhan?”

“Mr. Kim, is it true the police refused to come to Jeolban’s aid?”

“Mr. Kim, what’s it like being a hero?”

At least three dozen different voices are blasting questions at Jongdae, who now has his back plastered to the door. He pulls Joonmyun and Baekhyun closer as the nosy group of people move in on them. All these loud sounds cause Jongdae’s hearing to overstimulate. He closes his eyes angrily, trying not to focus on the noise.

“Mr. Kim! Mr. Kim!”

“I don’t want to answer any questions!” Jongdae yells. The reporters finally fall silent, their expressions expectant. “I am only going to say this: we had no choice but to fight. None of us are heroes - we just did what we had to do because no one wanted to help a bunch of half-bloods. Now get out of here, this school is private property.”

The crowd stays quiet for a moment, but then erupts into an even louder array of questions. Jongdae sees his friends getting microphones shoved into their faces as the reporters thirst for answers. The intrusion makes his blood boil, but what drives him over the edge is somebody pulling on Baekhyun’s arm.

Growling, Jongdae transforms into his goat self, horns sprouting from his forehead and hooves forcing him onto all fours. After blowing steam out of his nose, the reporters finally take their distance. He scrapes one of his hooves over the ground, ready to charge, and sprints ahead, right into the crowd of reports. Fear erupts among the reporters. They scream and flail their limbs as they attempt to leave the property, not a single camera operator courageous enough to film the entire ordeal.

Once all the reports have been chased off the property, Jongdae trudges back. Joonmyun hands him his clothes and Jongdae moves behind a tree to morph back.

“Everyone is calling you a hero,” Baekhyun commentates once Jongdae is back.

“They’re only saying that because I took Luhan’s soul. If they really did their research they’d know all of us fought, not just me. Right now the only thing they care about is a story that sells, not about what actually went down here.”

“I agree. Nothing about those people made me think that they cared,” Joonmyun chimes in, shaking his head.

“If they cared then they would’ve been here before it happened,” Baekhyun commentates rather depressingly. But there’s a small sparkle in his vivid yellow eyes. “I do think this might change something in half-blood history, though. I’ve seen a lot of articles about it online. People who are not half-bloods… they seem mad too. I think we can have a little hope now.”

“Me too,” Jongdae answers with a nod. “I’m mad the police only decided to take action after it happened, and not before, even though there were clear signs of danger. There’s no point getting mad about it though, at least they will take us seriously now.”

“Actually,” Joonmyun chimes in, “the head of the nearby police department wrote an official apology letter to the school and publically apologized on national television as well.”

“What? I never heard of that,” Baekhyun commentates.

“That doesn’t surprise me considering you’ve been rolling around in bed with Kyungsoo for the past couple of weeks,” Joonmyun says dryly, causing Baekhyun’s mouth to fall open.

“Did you hear what he said, Jongdae?”

Jongdae chuckles. “I did.”

“He’s taking over some of your sassiness.”

“I’m glad about that,” Jongdae replies smugly. Then he presses a kiss to Joonmyun’s cheek, which causes his boyfriend to blush.

Baekhyun rolls his eyes. “God, you guys are worse than Soo and I.”

\---

Jeolban is in good hands. Most students who suffered from poisoning are back in classes, and the few who remain in the hospitals are well on their way to full recovery. Much to everyone’s relief, Sehun made a swift recovery, mostly due to Jongin’s help. He’s joined Sehun’s clique back in the woods, and the four of them are doing well.

Luhan is locked up and so is Minseok – they are awaiting trial but everyone knows they won’t see the outside world for a very long time. Any other nymphs who were found present at the scene have also been arrested, and those who are on the run are being tracked by the police. With these evil nymphs off the streets, the half-blood community can breathe again.

Yixing and Chanyeol have returned home since the battle, but they keep in contact with Jeolban. The contact between Yixing and Joonmyun is a lot more frequent now, and he often sends packages containing self-written training manuals.

Everything is going well, but the one thing that’s still a struggle is Jongdae’s ability to stay awake in class.

“Jongdae!” A hiss comes from his left side while a hand shakes his shoulder..

Jongdae slowly opens his eyes, disoriented and still half-asleep. “ _Wha_?” he mumbles.

“Shh! Mrs. Yun might hear you!” It’s Joonmyun’s voice. “Try and look awake, please.”

 Jongdae forces himself to sit upright, his eyes still half-lidded. He glances over to his left side and meets Joonmyun’s amused grin.

“You’re gonna get yourself caught again, you dummy.”

Despite Joonmyun’s scolding, there’s affection in his eyes. The urge to kiss strikes Jongdae, and he plants one right on his boyfriend’s lips.

“Kim Jongdae! No PDA in my class!” Mrs. Yun interrupts with her screeching voice. “This is the last time you pull something like this. Go report yourself to the office.”

“What about me?” Joonmyun asks in an attempt to save his boyfriend.

“If you’re so eager to be punished, how about you go with him. I don’t want to see either of you back in my class until next week.” Mrs. Yun then glares at them until they exit the classroom.

Once the door closes behind them, Jongdae and Joonmyun burst into laughter, but as they make their way through the chilly hallways, Jongdae pulls him closer. He cups Joonmyun’s face and they kiss again, this time with a little more passion.

“I’m turning into a bad student because of you… getting me sent out of class, making me kiss you in the middle of the hallway,” Joonmyun commentates with a grin.

“Pff! I just helped you become a little less uptight. Got that stick out of your ass.”

“And replaced it with something else,” Joonmyun comments with a smirk, utterly astonishing Jongdae.

“I cannot believe you just said that. God, I really am a bad influence.”

“Nah, I learned that from Baekhyun.”

“That’s worse!”

Joonmyun breaks out in charming laughter, the sound resonating in the tall hallways. Jongdae looks at him with fondness. He presses another kiss to his boyfriend’s cheek before the two of them skip down the hallway.

 

 

the end.

 

 

 

 

\---

 

 

 

 

**Bonus Baekhyun/Kyungsoo**

(takes place just a little before the final chapter)

 

The wind howls outside as Baekhyun lies in Kyungsoo’s bed. After returning from the hospital, Kyungsoo insisted that Baekhyun stays with him. Baekhyun isn’t one to complain about that. It’s wonderful to be taken care of by his boyfriend – being fed, being cuddled, and the occasional blowjob. When Kyungsoo attends his classes, however, it gets a little boring. Joonmyun spends his free time either with Jongdae or in the library, so Baekhyun can’t irritate him either, and besides Kyungsoo’s portable chess game there is not much to do.

Baekhyun spends his alone time aching for his boyfriend, smelling his pillow and his clothes like some kind of creep. It’s not his fault Kyungsoo has such a delectable scent.

Sighing, Baekhyun gets out of bed and trudges to the mirror. The bandage on his neck needs to be replaced, but it’s a painful process. Ripped scales hurt like hell. Kyungsoo isn’t allowing him to go back to classes until every wound, big or small, is healed, but Baekhyun is ready to go back to class. Not that he’d tell Kyungsoo that, his boyfriend is insistent on taking care of him and making sure he’s 100% okay.

Baekhyun is about to go through the excruciating process of replacing his bandage when Kyungsoo walks in.

“What are you doing out of bed?” he asks seriously, immediately dropping his backpack and coat before rushing to his boyfriend.

“I was just about to get a fresh bandage for my neck,” Baekhyun explains, but Kyungsoo isn’t having it.

“You shouldn’t be out of bed for too long. Go lie down, I’ll get you a fresh bandage.”

Kyungsoo walks to their recently acquired first-aid kit to retrieve a bandage, but stops out of nowhere on the way back. “Why in God’s name is the window open?” He asks, eyebrows raised in disbelief.

“Fresh air?”

“Baekhyun… it’s snowing outside.”

“I don’t really mind, I can’t feel it.”

Kyungsoo sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose in irritation. “Joonmyun and I live here too, remember? We aren’t resistant to the cold. God… I was wondering why the hell it was so cold in here when I walked in.”

Baekhyun pouts as Kyungsoo approaches him with the bandage. “Sorry, Soo…”

“It’s fine. Just keep the window closed or I’ll get real cold,” Kyungsoo tells him with a small smile. He quickly removes Baekhyun’s bandage before dabbing the healing wound with some stinging alcohol. Baekhyun forces himself not to pull away at the pain, but his face contorts nonetheless. After the new bandage is applied, Kyungsoo cups Baekhyun’s cheek in affection.

“Hey, Soo… I know a way to warm up if you’re still feeling cold.” The idea that springs into Baekhyun’s mind has him suppressing a grin.

Kyungsoo raises an eyebrow at him.

Baekhyun then wiggles his, prompting Kyungsoo to roll his eyes.

“We’re not going to do anything… _intense_ until your wound is healed.”

“But you gave me a blowjob the other day!” Baekhyun objects.

Kyungsoo turns beet red. “Not so loud! And that was _me_ doing something, not you.”

“Okay, fine. You’re right about that,” Baekhyun gives in. He intertwines their fingers and brings Kyungsoo’s hand up to his lips, kissing his fingers one by one. “I just… I miss being inside you… pleasuring you,” he whispers softly. He means it. Pleasuring Kyungsoo is his favorite thing in the world. After kissing him, of course.

Kyungsoo averts his eyes, but there’s a visible want in his expression. “I-I just don’t want you to get hurt...”

“I promise I won’t. And if my wound starts to hurt we will stop immediately, okay?”

Kyungsoo purses his lips. God, Baekhyun could kiss those for days. “Okay, but we’ll do it my way. Stay down.”

Kyungsoo’s hand pressed to his chest has Baekhyun staring up at his boyfriend in wonder. He’s planning something – the look in Kyungsoo’s eyes and blush dusting his cheeks tells Baekhyun it’s something sexy. Whatever it is, Baekhyun will gladly comply. Kyungsoo doesn’t initiate things as often as Baekhyun, but when he does… Baekhyun feels a spark of arousal just thinking of it.

The assumption is proven correct when Kyungsoo shreds his uniform blazer and loosens his tie. His button up shirt and undershirt are next to go. The revelation of Kyungsoo’s white skin has Baekhyun’s pupils dilating. He loves seeing his boyfriend undressed. Kyungsoo shimmies out of his uniform pants, socks, and underwear, leaving everything exposed. Baekhyun rakes his eyes over the expanse of Kyungsoo’s body, taking in the details he’s seen a million times, but still enjoys it like it’s the first time.

Kyungsoo throws the blanket aside and crawls on the bed, on top of Baekhyun. He raises an eyebrow at Baekhyun’s semi-erection. “Really?”

“Can’t help it, Soo. You’re too sexy.”

Kyungsoo rolls his eyes, but Baekhyun doesn’t miss the small smile skirting on the edge of his lips. His boyfriend proceeds to undress him, taking off his shirt and shorts, leaving him in his boxers. Baekhyun gazes up at his boyfriend in expectation and Kyungsoo smirks before gliding his underwear off as well.

“Grab the lube for me,” Kyungsoo orders as he presses a kiss to Baekhyun’s navel.

Baekhyun immediately obeys, blindly reaching under the pillow to retrieve said item. When he opens the cap and prepares to squeeze some on his fingers, Kyungsoo snatches it out of his hands.

“No,” he voices.

“But Soo!”

Kyungsoo shushes him with a finger to his lips. “ _My_ way.” Then he squirts the lube onto his fingers, reaching behind himself.

Baekhyun’s mouth goes dry at the sight of Kyungsoo straddling him and pleasuring himself. Kyungsoo’s brows furrow, his eyes screwing shut as he enters a finger into his behind. His cock is curving up against his stomach, the tip a furious red.

“Let me at least touch your body, Soo,” Baekhyun whispers in a slightly whiny tone. Having his boyfriend on top of him like this is arousing beyond measure, he _needs_ to touch him.

“You can touch me,” Kyungsoo reassures.

“Thank God.”

Baekhyun slides his hands up his boyfriend’s delectable thighs, tracing the outlines of his groin with his thumbs. Kyungsoo whimpers softly in response.

“How many have you got inside?” Baekhyun asks softly as he slowly raises his fingers to Kyungsoo’s chest, pinching a hardened nipple.

“ _A-ah_ , two.” Kyungsoo gasps. His entire body has always been sensitive, especially to Baekhyun’s experienced touches.

“Two already? God, you’re killing me, Soo.”

Kyungsoo smiles smugly before leaning down to press a kiss on his boyfriend’s lips. Baekhyun hardens under the slip of Kyungsoo’s tongue against his, his erection pressing against Kyungsoo’s ass. After their lips disconnect once again, Kyungsoo begins thrusting his fingers harder, and Baekhyun can’t resist putting a hand on his boyfriend’s cock. Whines immediately begin to escape Kyungsoo’s throat. The tone is high and needy, just the way Baekhyun likes it. Seeing his boyfriend so in need of him is gratifying.

Kyungsoo then takes his fingers out with a wanton noise, slick dripping from the tips of his fingers. His expression is pleasured. It sends a jolt of arousal to Baekhyun’s cock, making it twitch. Kyungsoo holds his fingers to Baekhyun’s lips, prodding them until Baekhyun opens his mouth. With his forked tongue, Baekhyun slithers about the slick fingers, cleaning them thoroughly. His boyfriend tastes good, he always does.

“I’m gonna ride you now,” Kyungsoo announces in a low voice.

Baekhyun’s eyes widen in shock. “Soo…” he trails off. Kyungsoo has never ridden him before. The idea is beyond arousing and Baekhyun feels his cock twitch again.

Kyungsoo lifts himself and reaches for his boyfriend’s erection. The slick entrance is now against the tip of his cock. Baekhyun lets out a shuddery breath. But then Kyungsoo sinks down, and Baekhyun gets the air knocked out of him. It has been quite a while since he felt Kyungsoo’s insides – he almost forgot what it felt like.

Kyungsoo takes slow, deep breaths, placing one hand on his boyfriend’s hip for support. Baekhyun immediately reaches back, running his fingertips up and down Kyungsoo’s thighs.

“You’re doing amazing, Soo. _Fuck_ , you feel so tight.”

“Sh-shut up,” Kyungsoo rasps before lifting himself and dropping down again. Kyungsoo’s words aren’t what silence Baekhyun, it’s the incredible pace at which Kyungsoo starts riding him.

With gasping breath, Baekhyun grips his boyfriend’s thighs, the pleasure becoming immense in just a matter of seconds. Kyungsoo is already panting above him. His expression is twisted with pleasure, eyes screwed shut and eyebrows furrowed. His mouth has fallen open, not yet letting out any sounds but desperately gasping for air.

The tight suction around his cock has Baekhyun close within minutes, but he attempts to postpone it by squeezing his boyfriend’s thighs. As that doesn’t seem to stop him from feeling his orgasm approach, he realizes he might as well try to get Kyungsoo close to completion too. He curls his fingers around his boyfriend’s cock, squeezing just how Kyungsoo likes it. It immediately causes Kyungsoo clench around him, and Baekhyun knows he’s hit the jackpot.

“B-Baek, stop, you’re gonna make me come,” Kyungsoo gasps, clenching around his boyfriend’s member once again.

Baekhyun doesn’t listen to his boyfriend, instead choosing to do his most destructive tactic – he rubs the underside of Kyungsoo’s cockhead with his thumb, the most sensitive place on his entire body. Kyungsoo immediately lets out a cry of pleasure. His hands find purchase on Baekhyun’s shoulders as riding him is becoming too intense with this other pleasure mixed in.

“Fuck, Soo, I’m gonna come too,” Baekhyun groans, speeding up his jerks to Kyungsoo’s cock.

Kyungsoo topples Baekhyun to the edge with his bouncing. Baekhyun feels the heat in the pit of his stomach accumulate and before he knows it, he’s coming inside of his boyfriend with a harsh cry. Seed fills Kyungsoo to the brim, causing him to whimper.

“Baek, I’m so close,” he whines.

Baekhyun, despite his post-orgasm state, jerks Kyungsoo to completion in a matter of seconds. Kyungsoo cries out above him, cum shooting out of his cock and landing on Baekhyun’s chest. He’s shaking from head to toe. Both of them are sweaty, panting as they slowly fade out of their post-orgasm state.

Kyungsoo slowly climbs off and plops down next to his boyfriend.

“That was amazing, Soo,” Baekhyun tells him, pressing a kiss to his cheek.

“Shut up,” Kyungsoo whispers softly, his cheeks beet red.

Baekhyun grabs the tissues from the nightstand, wiping down his chest and cock. He pulls the blanket over both of them and snuggles close to his boyfriend. Unsurprisingly, Kyungsoo presses his face into Baekhyun’s chest. He doesn’t like to admit it, but he’s a post-sex cuddler. Baekhyun cards his fingers through Kyungsoo’s sweaty hair in affection.

“We should do that more often,” Kyungsoo suddenly whispers.

Baekhyun can’t help a smile. He’s definitely not against that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it's over!!!! this is the end!!!  
> im sorry it took me so long and that the quality declined in the last couple of chapters :(( i hope you enjoyed it nonetheless!!  
> please drop off a comment :D  
> i have no idea what im gonna write next, so if you have a suggestion you are more than welcome to drop that off in a comment!!! :D
> 
> thank you so so soooo much for your support!!! i appreciate you all so much and i hope yall will give my other stories a chance too :D


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